The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was contacted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' (MDNR's) duty officer on June 28, 2006 at 2000 hours, who reported a petroleum sheen on the Cuivre River near the Chain of Rocks Bridge near Old Monroe, MO. An MDNR responder investigated the sheen with the Old Monroe Volunteer Fire Department. The MDNR reported the source of the sheen was a release of diesel fuel from a diesel powered pump (150-200 gallon size fuel storage tank) located along the bank of the river at the Keeven Sod Farm. The fuel was seeping from the bank into the river.
The MDNR requested EPA assistance in responding to the incident.
The EPA duty officer, Paul Doherty, notified the National Pollution Fund Center that Region 7 was activating the Oil Fund to respond to the release. Jim Silver, EPA On-Scene Coordinator, was contacted and the ERRS contractor was notified and mobilized to the site. Local responders and the Old Monroe Fire Protection District were contacted and agreed to place absorbent boom at and down-gradient of the release in order to secure the site until it could be better assessed the following morning.
On June 29, 2006, Jim Silver reported that the source of the sheen was from a diesel powered water pump owned and operated by the Keeven Bros. Sod Co. (P.O. Box 247, O'Fallon, MO, 636-240-4900). The water pump is used to pump water from the Cuivre River for irrigation of sod. The pump is about 15 feet above the river on a bench, walled with concrete and filled with gravel. The gravel was stained with diesel fuel under the pump motor. The pump was off when responders arrived and no fuel was leaking from it at that time. Responders observed diesel leaching into the river. The Old Monroe Fire Department reported that the day before they had seen a sheen with pools as far as a mile downstream of the spill site. Absorbent booms and hard booms have been placed to secure the area of release. The pump base has been excavated and diesel-contaminated gravel will be removed for disposal.
Complete clean-up of the pump base wil be performed. The absorbent boom will be replaced and the used boom disposed. Effectiveness of the containment boom and response actions will be monitored.
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