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Keithsburg Locomotive

All POLREP's for this site Keithsburg Locomotive
Keithsburg, IL - EPA Region V
POLREP #1 - First and Final
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On-Scene Coordinator - Steven Faryan 6/19/2008
Emergency - Removal Action Pollution Report (POLREP) #1
Start Date: 6/15/2008 Completion Date: 6/16/2008
Site Description
IEPA requested USEPA assistance on June 14, 2008 to assist on a reported deisel fuel release and sheen in the town of Keithburg, Illinois.  The levee in Keithsburg had given way and the town was flooded with over 15 feet of water from the Mississippi.  A deisel locomotive that had the engines removed and the fuel removed was placed on the levee with a caboose as a observation model.  When the levee let loose the locomotive and caboose were submerged.  A deisel sheen and strong odor were observed by the Illinois DNR on June 14 and the locomotive and potentially a Archer Daniels tugboat which was listing were the potential sources.  The tug may have blown it's bilge and some deisel was released during this pumping.

Current Activities
USEPA and contractor ER responded on June 15 to contain and collect the spilled material. A BOA was issued by the CO with contract # HSCG84-05-A-800146_. OSC Faryan and ER Response Manager and a crew of 4, boats, and boom responded.  After conducting a thorough recon of the supected area and town of Keithsburg, no collectable concentrations of deisel were observed.  A light sheen was noticeable near the ADM grain silos where the tug was running and manned by a captain.  No sheen was observed near the submerged locomotive.
It is suspected that the deisel product moved back into the main channel when the water began flowing back out due to river levels receeding.


Planned Removal Actions
None.  EPA and ER demobilized since there was no collectable spilled material.

Next Steps
Finalize costs

Key Issues
no potential sources were identified.