On December 8, 2004, EPRB received notification through the National Response Center (NRC report # 743642) of an accidental release of 1,300 gallons of acetone. The acetone release occurred in the evening of December 6 at a wholesale chemical distributing facility (Callahan Company) in Walpole, Massachusetts while a tanker truck was being loaded. The material was first released into a secondary containment dike area surrounding the load-out scale. Possibly due to heavy rainfall the night of the release, the outlet valves from the containment area had been left open and some of the released acetone made its way out of the containment area and into a swale on the southeast corner of the property.
OSC Lipson responded to the scene during the evening of December 8 and met with the Responsible Party (RP) and a responder from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). During his visit and tour of the impacted areas, OSC Lipson and the MA DEP responder where able to utilize a field instrument and still detect elevated levels of volatiles in air within a few of the impacted areas. The RP hired a LSP environmental contractor (Cyn Environmental) who is actively conducting cleanup and sampling activities. OSCs Gardner and Pasquerella responded to the scene on December 9 in order to further assess the impact of the release, discuss notification protocols with the RP, review the facility's SPCC Plan, and to provide air monitoring support to the DEP responder. Although there was no obvious evidence of a release to the nearby wetlands, DEP is requiring the RP to conduct confirmatory surface water sampling in the area.
No further EPA removal action is planned. The RP will address follow-up issues under the oversight of DEP.
The RP did not notify the National Response Center until two days after the release occurred. OSCs Gardner and Pasquerella discussed the importance of prompt notification with the RP.
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