U.S. Oil and Refining Company is a continous processing plant. Products produced at the refinery include gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, marine fuel, gas oils, and emulsified and road ashphalts. The refinery has a storage capacity for approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil and refined products.
At 0945 hrs on April 7, 2005, EPA was notified by the National Response Center regarding a report of a jet fuel (JP8) spill at the US Oil Refinery located in Tacoma, Washington. At 1100 hrs, OSC Terada and 3 EPA contractors were dispatched to the scene.
The spill occurred due to a valve being accidentally being left open, which resulted in a spill of approximately 300 barrels (12,600 gallons) of jet fuel into an earthen containment area. With the inclement weather (heavy rain and wind), proximity to the nearby Blair Waterway and Commencement Bay in Puget Sound of less than 500 yards, and multiple pathways for jet fuel to migrate to surface waters via ditches and ground water flow, the threat of a release of jet fuel was substantial and therefore EPA, Coast Guard, and Washington State Department of Ecology (WSDOE) all responded to this incident. Tacoma Fire Department was also initially present to assess the potential for a fire hazard.
Based on initial observations, it appears that all of the spilled product has been contained in the containment area and no fuel has leaked into the environment and/or nearby surface waters. The recovery of the jet fuel is still occurring with an evaluation of the nature and extent of soil and ground water contamination still pending. The State's Oil Spill Prevention Program will be overseeing the efforts to determining whether any soil and/or ground water clean up is needed.
A review of the facility's Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Federal Response Plans (FRP) were also conducted.
The facility will continue to recover jet fuel, and then determine the nature and extent of the soil and ground water contamination occurred. The Washington State Department of Ecology will oversee this process.
The facility will continue to recover jet fuel, and will begin evaulation of potential soil and ground water contamination.
The facility will be conducting an incident investigation over the course of the next few weeks to determine the nature of the extent of the jet fuel spill. The facility agreed to provide all responding agencies with a copy of the final investigation report within the next 30 to 45 days.
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