SITE INFORMATION
A. Incident Category
1. Time critical removal of a crude oilsurface spill from an abandoned oil well.
OPA Fund in use.
B. Site Description
1. Site location
Remote wooded area 0.3 miles to the west of the intersection near 1100 E. Mine 24 Road and 1150 N. Licata Road, Benton, Illinois.
2. Description of threat
IEPA/USEPA estimates that a release of 15 -20 barrels of crude oil product was released from an abandoned oil well. It was determined that this product came from a pressurized crude oil well that released it’s contents to cover a 30-feet x 50-feet surface area. A coating of oil is observed on the nearby tree branches approximately 30 feet high. The oil flowed overland through 3 fingerlike extensions to the south from the well site location. Crude oil is observed floating on surface-water within the banks of the following water courses:
- Unnamed Ditch directly downhill (South) of the abandoned oil well (crude oil)
- Sugar Creek (crude oil and sheen)
- Big Muddy River (sheen only)
3. Site background
According to local sources, this crude oil well was drilled in 1985 to a depth of 2685 feet and is screened from 2680 – 2685 feet below ground surface. The actual date of release is unknown at this time as is the true ownership of the abandoned oil well.
4. State and local actions to date
The Corps of Engineers deployed absorbent boom in Sugar Creek on Thursday, April 2, 2009. This activity was performed on their property in an attempt to protect the Big Muddy River. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) deployed absorbent boom on April 3, 2009 in 3 locations to collect product that is moving down stream in both the Unnamed Ditch and Sugar Creek. Again these activities were in an attempt to protect the Big Muddy River. IEPA contacted U.S. EPA on April 3, 2009 asking for assistance.
A. Situation
1. Response activities to date
- Oil clean-up operations began at the site on the morning of April 4, 2009, with the following:
- OSC, Turner, mobilized an ERRS field crew of 12 technicians and 1 Removal Manager from Environmental Restoration, Inc. along with 1 START Project Manager, all from St. Louis, MO.
- An existing USCOE site gate was unlocked and will be used to control ingress and egress to the spill site.
OSC Turner instructed the removal contractor to immediately initiate oil recovery operations along with minor site clearing and grubbing operations.
The spill location is quite remote and inaccessible therefore the clean-up is being performed with manual labor rather than heavy equipment.
- A roll-off-box was delivered to the site and will be used for future off-site disposal purposes.
Continue to collect liquid crude oil from the ground
Continue to collect crude oil impacted leaf litter and debris
Plan for and deploy measures to protect surface waters from rain events
Arrange with a oil well plugging contractor to plug this abandoned well
Recover product from both the surface and adjacent water courses.
Assess the extent of oil that may have saturated and migrated down into the soil matrix.
Determine well ownership from historical records not available at this time
Subcontract with an emergency well plugging contractor
- Rain is anticipated on April 4, 2009 and April 5, 2009.
- It is suspected that the well casing has been compromised. There are several oil seeps below grade from the oil well. The oil seeps may be a result of the bad casing and will continue to be a source of oil into the environment.
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