On 28 March 2008 (0938 AM) a fuel tanker truck (MC306) was involved in an accident on I-91 Northbound at the eastern end of the bridge crossing the Connecticut River in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The fuel tanker, in an effort to stop quickly, lost control and the trailer portion of the fuel tanker rolled over the guard rail, caught fire and came to rest on its base along the hillside approximately 80 feet beneath the Interstate. The tanker contained 9,500 gallons of gasoline and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Much of the 10,500 gallons of fuel was consumed during the fire that burned for over an hour after the incident. A large volume of the remaining fuel either spilled and soaked into the adajacent soils of the hillside or remained in the tanker. Some of the released fuel reached Center Street (running perpendicular and located under the I-91 Bridge). An unknown volume of fuel entered the storm drains leading to the Connecticut River prior to first responder actions to block the storm drains. Environmental response contractors (Clean Harbors), directed by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASS DEP) and later hired by the Responsible Party employed oil containment and recovery boom in the Connecticut River to capture fuel released to the water. EPA does not have a good estimate of exactly how much fuel reached the Connecticut River during the early stages of the response. Only a rainbow sheen of oil was visible along the east bank of the Connecticut River during the final hours of the first day.
EPA Region 1 dispatched OSC John McKeown and four Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START) personnel to the response at 1030 on 28 March 2008. OSC McKeown coordinated with the Incident Commander (Chicopee Fire) and responders from MASS DEP (Robert Terenzi and Stacey Dakai). EPA and MASS DEP coordinated with the Licensed Site Professional (LSP), Mr. Eric Johnson, on actions required to contain and recover released fuel. EPA issued a Notice of Federal Interest (CWA Section 311) to the LSP. EPA START contractors conducted air monitoring of storm drains/saturated soils and collected water samples from the Connecticut River.
The LSP hired Trident Environmental Group (subcontractor Clean Harbors) to contain and recover all released oil and mitigate the environmental threat. Trident worked through the night of 28 March 2008 to remove all remaining fuel from the trailer, remove the remains of the charred trailer, contain saturated soils on the hillside, recover all oil and debris along Center Street and improve containment measures on the Connecticut River.
EPA and MASS DEP have taken a unified approach in working with the LSP to mitigate the environmental threat in the vicinity of the spill. The LSP has completed oil recovery operations along Center Street and will shift priorities to removing the saturated soils along the hillside. The LSP will keep and maintain oil containment measures in the Connecticut River until no additional product is released from the storm drains. The LSP will submit plans, progress reports and analytical results to MASS DEP to confirm cleanup progress. The LSP has agreed to copy EPA on these documents.
The LSP is meeting with representatives from Abenaqui Carriers, the owner of fuel tanker at the spill site. The LSP continues to coordinate with MASS DEP and EPA to ensure the environmental threat is mitigated and maximum released oil is recovered.
Key environmental issues remaining at this site include:
- Removal of fuel from saturated hillside adjacent to I-91 North Bound.
- Removal of any remaining fuel trapped in the storm drains along Center Street.
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