On the evening of 4/24/05. The EPA Phone Duty Officer received a call from ODEQ State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) Greenburg relating to a spill/release reported on Beaverton Creek near Millikan Way and 153rd in Beaverton, Oregon. ODEQ had mobilized a contractor to find the source and deploy boom/absorbants.
Beaverton Creek at the spill location, flows through a wetland. The creek is tributary to Rock Creek which flows to the Tualatin River, a navigable waterway. The Tualatin River is tributary to the Willamette River, also a navigable waterway. The surrounding area is a mixed residential and commercial zone, with a large number of feeder creeks and boarding wetland areas. The drainage system has a high wildlife/waterfowl population and Beaverton Creek flows through the Tualatin Hills Nature Park.
On April 28, 2005 DEQ, DEQ’s contractor, EPA's contractor, and a representative from the City of Beaverton met at the most upstream location of where visible sheen had been observed (SW 144th Avenue). The sheen at this location was nearly gone with a few infrequent small stringers of sheen occasionally being observed.
Further downstream, just west of SW Murray Road sheen was observed in areas where some natural damming had occurred. Just to the west of Murray Road, at a railroad bridge the boom and absorbent material that had been placed at the bridge had captured significant sheen and mousse (weathered oil). The boom located at SW 153rd Drive and Beaver Creek also captured significant sheen and mousse. Booms located further downstream on Beaverton Creek at SW Millikan Way and SW 170th Avenue showed minimal sheen capture. Upstream booms had captured the bulk of the contamination.
DEQ’s removal contractor used a skiff to remove the sheen and mousse at the railroad bridge and SW 153rd Drive locations. A sample of mousse and sheen were collected from the accumulation at SW 153rd for hydrocarbon identification (HCID analysis). Removal work was completed on April 28, 2005.
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