On February 26, 2007, Benson-Montin-Greer Drilling (BMG) reported an estimated 200-barrel (bbl) crude oil spill to the National Response Center (827552). The spill is located in a remote area in northern New Mexico within the Santa Fe National Forest in Rio Arriba County. The oil spill occurred when a buried, 4-inch crude gathering pipeline began leaking under the bank of Arroyo Puerto Chiquito and discharged directly into the arroyo. Arroyo Puerto Chiquito is a tributary of Rio Chama, which flows into the Rio Grande.
BMG workers initially responded to the site by installing two dams and sorbent boom in the arroyo, but few resources (personnel and equipment) were deployed by BMG or other substantive work apparently done until after the arrival of EPA. No Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) was hired. Work at the site has also been hampered by the site's remoteness, as well as ice and snow and cold temperatures (6 degrees to 26 degrees). The arroyo has been heavily oiled through much of its upper reaches, with small pools of free oil and heavily saturated grasses. Ice and snow have covered much of the spill.
After a site meeting with the EPA and USFS, BMG mobilized additional workers to the site and began recovering free product from pooled areas utilizing two vacuum trucks. In addition, BMG mobilized heavy equipment including a loader, backhoe and a trackhoe to the site and workers began road inprovements for the transport of contaminated soil from the arroyo. RP workers also began work on the construction of an additional underflow dam downgradient of the last existing dam. BMG crews placed two sets of absorbent boom and hay bales downstream of the final dam, and plans to build an additional set at the downstream distal end of the spill to prevent further downstream migration.
BMG will mobilize an OSRO on March 3, 2007 to facilitate a more rapid response. OSC Franklin has requested a site consult with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife representative to determine if planned response actions are consistent with correct protections of the wildlife, vegetation, and soils in the arroyo. The USFS has concerns about removal of arroyo soils (and vegetation) which are very sensitive and are not easily replaced through natural processes.
BMG work crews will excavate the site of the pipeline break and discharge to clamp off the leak and stop any residual flow. BMG will also vacuum oil and oily water from underflow dam collection points, and will also remove contaminated vegetation and the thin layer of contaminated soil on the private land along the spill pathway. BMG will conduct high volume, low pressure soil washing on the National Forest land, pending consultation with the USFS and Fish and Wildlife Services. The collected oil and water mixture will be recovered by vacuum trucks. Under advisement from the archological consultant, all work will be conducted in and restricted to a 100-foot radius of the arroyo to prevent damage to any potential historical sites in the area.
EPA will continue to advise and coordinate with BMG representatives, the USFS, USFW, and archeological consultants to ensure timely and appropriate cleanup actions in the sensitive area.
A crude oil spill discharged in a wetland type of arroyo, which flows to the Chama River and through the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. The arroyo remians heavily oiled. The spill is one of three spills from the same pipeline into the same arroyo. The EPA OSC has advised BMG that they should re-evaluate the usability of the pipeline and their pipeline operations and maintenance so that no further spills come from this source. Th company has stated that they will either replace the old pipeline or insert polypipe inside.
To date, BMG continues to employee a non-osro crew with little to no response experience. Also, no water flushing of the arroyo has occurred to date (as requested by the OSC), nor has the site of the pipeline break been excavated to stop the source of the leak, to ascertain whether it is still leaking, or to remove heavily contaminated soil which is still discharging oil. Of the original 200 bbl reported spilled, BMG estimates only 10 bbl recovered. Cold weather, ice and snow continues to make the assessment of the extent of contamination and the response efforts difficult.
The site is located in a wetland area that appears to be teeming with wildlife (elk, bear, coyotes, rabbits, birds, etc.). The area is know for having an abundance of archeological sites.
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