On 25 December 2007 the Nacogdoches County Sheriffs Office was notified of an oil spill located off Oil Spring Road (East of State Highway 226) in Woden, Nacogdoches County, Texas. The origin of the spill was determined to be a gunshot hole in an abandoned 210 barrel above ground storage tank (AST).
Approximately 170 barrels of oil was released into Oil Spring Creek. Oil Spring Creek feeds Moss Creek, which ultimately empties into Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Sam Rayburn Reservoir is a public water supply to the surrounding towns and communities.
Due to the remote area and need to work in multiple areas, the clean-up effort was divided into three segments (work areas). Segment 1 consists of Oil Spring Creek downstream of the County Road 420 bridge (approximately 2700 feet). Segment 2 consists of the spill site. Segment 3 consists of the drainage area near the spill site down to the probably point of entry into Oil Spring Creek.
The Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) contractors continued to excavate and stockpile contaminated soil, from Segment 2, the spill path down slope from the tank battery to points of entry at the tributary of Oil Spring Creek. Oil contaminated sol was been removed and stockpiled on plastic sheeting for staging of material. Oily debris and soil has been removed from the spill path used as erosion prohibitors near the points of entry into the creek. Approximately 75 yards of contaminated soil has been sent out for proper disposal to an approved TRRC landfill. There is an estimated 110 barrels of oil that has been recovered from the creek and is in the recovery area tank at this time. Approximately 28 barrels of oil product has been removed from the 210 barrel tank on site with an estimated 30 barrels of oil recovered from soil. Current estimates of product recovered suggest that 170 barrels of oil will be recovered from the tank.
Crews continued burning pockets of oil in the creek south of the bridge in work Segment 1. A detailed clean up of the creek continues by physical removal of contaminated debris and oil skimming heavy pockets of oil to a collection point down stream. Approx. 50% of the creek to the South of the Bridge has been addressed at this time.
Power washing in work Segment 3 along the feeder creek above the bridge has been initiated. A soil washing technique with water is used to move oil down-stream to the bridge at a collection point for recovery. This process is slow as the South portion of Oil Spring Creek has very little oil. There is an estimated 1 barrel of left in the creek to recover.
TRRC will continue to remove free product from within Segments 1 and 3, as needed. TRRC will continue to monitor sorbent/containment boom in Oil Spring Creek. Stock piled soils will be characterized, profiled, and transported off-site for disposal. Product removed from the tank will be stored in the on-site frac tank pending future disposal or recycling. The 500 BBL frac tank contains approximately 110 BBL of recovered hydrocarbons.
Excavated soils and oil impacted debris removed from Oil Spring Creek will be characterized, profiled and transported off-site to a TRRC approved disposal facility.
Creek booms will be monitored Sat and Sun. and Cleanup will resume Monday.
Clean up crews have contained the oil spill in Oil Spring Creek within a half mile of the spill location. Moss Creek was threatened by the spill, but not impacted with oil.
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