United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region I
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Thursday, July 9, 2009
From:
Mike Barry


Subject: 

Continuation of Action
Aranco Tanker Rollover
Rt 95 North Bound, Newburyport, MA
Latitude: 42.8275000
Longitude: -70.9158000


POLREP No.:
4
Site #:
Z1BY
Reporting Period:
7/7 1300 hrs to 7/9 1700 hrs
D.O. #:
Start Date:
7/7/2009
Response Authority:
OPA
Mob Date:
7/6/2009
Response Type:
Emergency
Demob Date:
7/6/2009
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
CERCLIS ID #:
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
Reimbursable Account #
FPN#
E09110
 

Site Description

Monday July 6, 2009: At approximately 9 am, a tanker truck was involved in an accident on Route 95N in Newburyport, MA.  As a result, the truck released approximately 8,600 gallons of gasoline onto the road.  The gasoline flowed into the storm drain and an unknown amount entered the Merrimack River.


Current Activities

Since POLREP #3:

Spill volume:
Total gasoline onboard was 10,200 gallons; 1050 were pumped off and 400 gallons have been removed in the fractionalization tank from river and catch basin pumping operations for a total of 8850 gallons still unaccounted for.

Source Area:
-Contaminated soil removal continues, approximately 500 cuyd of contaminated soil has been removed to date.
-The contaminated soil is area is bigger and deeper than originally expected due to sandy soils.
-This work continues from 0400-1200 daily; MASS Highway requires operations to cease at 1400 daily to fully open I-95 northbound.
-Several Geoprobes have been advanced in the spill area to characterize any impact on groundwater and to place recovery wells, but haven't reached the water table yet.
-One monitoirng well has been placed in the adjacent residential area to assess groundwater.

Storm Sewer:
-Working on removing contaminated liquids and solids from the 12 catch basins; sand was dumped into catch basins during the incident to mitigate gasoline infiltration.

Merrimack River/riverbank area:
-Booming and cleanup operations continue as before.
-Sheen at the outflow is longer observed and the riverbank has less gasoline residue than before.


Planned Removal Actions

Source Area:
-Continue soil removal.
-Advance recovery wells pending Geoprobe findings.

Storm Sewer:
-Continue clearing contaminated material.

River and riverbank:
-Continue containment and sorbent booming operations.


Next Steps

-Install recovery wells in release area and monitor product recover.
-Assess the benefit of flushing the storm sewer once catch basins are cleaned, given the significant rain events this past week.


Key Issues

-Requirement for full use of I-95 in the afternoon limits source area and strom sewer operations to 0400-1200 daily.
-An unknown, but potentially significant portion of the release may be in the release area soil and infiltrate to the groundwater surface.
-Significant and at time intense rainfall has impacted operations.


response.epa.gov/ArancoTankerRollover