On Thursday March 2, 06 BP Alaska reported a discharge of oil and produce water of an unknown quantity from a flow line in the western operating area of Alaska's North Slope Prudhoe Bay oil field. The line runs between Gathering Center 1 and 2 and parallels a gravel roadway. The line sits on top of tundra, a wetland and water of the US, although current conditions are winter artic and the tundra is frozen and snow covered.
BP has made notifications to NRC, ADEC and the North SLope Borough. Operators are in the process of shutting down the line and the leak has been reported to be a oil seep not under pressure. Spill responders from BP and Alaska CLean Seas the spill cooperative are on site and safing out the area. Vac trucks have been ordered to recover the free liquids.
EPA notified the ADEC and US DOI. A Historic Properties check was done in the vicinity of this spill in May of 2003 during a similar spill response. The check revealed no known sites in the immediate area
BP will remove snow from atop of the pipeline and delineate the area impacted. This should provide a volume estimate. Oil will be recovered utilizing vatrucks and removal of contaminated snow. The area will most likely be boomed with shore seal boom and flushed with warm water to remove residual contamination, following standard approved practices of tundra clean-up
EPA will coordinate with ADEC and monitor BP's response to the spill. ADEC is sending two response personnel from the Fairbanks office to the slope tomorrow due to flight availability to provide oversight on scene and at the command post
Arctic winter conditions will present safety challenges to on site response personnel
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