Lacamas Laboratories is a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant located in Portland, Oregon.
The Lacamas plant is located in an industrial setting of North Portland off of Marine Drive. The property is composed of approximately 8 buildings that are used for storing process chemicals and the equipment necessary to produce percursor pharmaceutical chemicals. The total area is approximately 2.4 acres according to information taken from www.portlandmaps.com
Concerns on site (beyond worker safety, fire and explosion) include the threat of runoff of pollutants and contaminants into the Columbia River.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requested EPA’s assistance to both identify and mitigate any potential environmental threats on site.
EPA responded to the site at the request of the DEQ. EPA formed a Unified Command with the RP, (the RP's contractor NRC), DEQ, and the USCG.
Local Fire and Hazmat teams had the primary responsiblity of site safety, managing the fire and monitoring the site for secondary explosions.
The IC for the Fire turned the site over to Oregon OSHA inspectors around 1400. OR OSHA inspected the buildings and identified several buildings that would be restricted until further investigations were completed.
Concurrent environmental activities included pumping down and collecting on site water into 20K Baker tanks, and plugging an outflow pipe that was discharging approximately 5 gallons per minute of site water into the Columbia River. The outflow pipe appears to be draining accumulated water from the site. The accumulated water is the result of fire suppression activities, local percipitation and the possible rupture of water service pipes to the site.
On site utilities including gas, electric and water utility services have been shut off.
EPA implemented a sampling effort of the outflow pipe and Columbia River. A sheen was detected on the Columbia River at the location of the outflow pipe and is the result of site contaminant migration. Both skirted and absorbent booms were placed in the water to contain oily contaminants.
The outflow pipe has been plugged and the release rate has been reduced considerably. The rate of release is approximately 1 gal per minute. This release of material will likely continue until the upgradient accumulation on site is removed. On site water accumulation should be completed by Monday evening (09/2005)
A meeting schedule has been established for 1100 and 1400 hours for Planning and Operational discussions respectively.
A 24 hour site security service has been hired to watch the site.
0800 May 9 - 1400 May 10:
RP contractor (NRC) will continue to manage on site water accumulation by pumping the collected material inton Baker tanks.
Maintain site security
EPA will sample at outflow.
NRC will develop site safety plan.
Structural integrity of impacted buildings needs to be conducted prior to entry.
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