In the evening hours of February 21, 2007 the Jackson County EMA office in Sylva, NC received calls regarding a gasoline smell coming from Mill Creek. The EMA hired a cleanup contractor who put boom in the creek to stop the flow of the gasoline downstream. The NC RRT also responded and conducted a hazcat ID test on the product in the creek and found it also contained manganese chloride.
The source of the spill was undertermined and OSC Crowley was dispatched to the scene for oversight and to help determine the source of the spill.
The OSC arrived on scene at 10:30 on 2/22/07 and met up with NCDENR (UST section), Jackson County EMA, and NCEMA. Upon arriving at the scene there was boom placed in the creek and at points downstream to about a mile away. There was gasoline retained in the first boom of about 1'-2' feet by 5' wide. The previous night the NC RRT also was at the scene to conduct a hazcat ID on the gasoline and had a positive hit for manganese chloride (via vapor analysis).
The main concern was that the source of the spill had not been determined. However, the size of the gasoline retained at the main boom location was not increasing, which leads to this being a one time discharge. The OSC along with the state and local responders walked the creek (upstream) to try and find the source. There was no staining along the creek banks and no further gasoline smell at any location other than the main boom location. The group eventually ended up at a large construction site where a very large culvert was being placed and this was the last place the NCRRT got a positive vapor hit for manganese chloride. Again there was no visual signs of gasoline or manganese chloride.
It was the opinion of all of the responders that this was most likely a one-time release of gasoline and manganese chloride. It was also determined by the UST representative from NCDENR that there was no leaking UST (the only gas station in the area checked their tanks and found them not to be leaking). The Jackson County EMA's cleanup contractor, Mountain Environmental, will monitor and replace the boom in the creek for the next week or so to see if in fact the spill is ongoing or just a one-time event. Also, NCDENR Department of Water Quality will periodically check the Site.
Mountain Environmental will maintain a watch over the creek and cleanup any gasoline that collects at boom locations.
OSC Crowley demobilized the afternoon of 2/22/2007.
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