At the request of the ADEM, OSC Ullock was dispatched to the HOLY GROUND BATTLEFIELD PARK (operated by the US ACOE-Mobile District) located near Whitehall, Alabama for the purpose of locating, securing, recovering, sampling and properly disposing of an orphaned Under Ground Storage Tank (UST).
The UST is located at River Mile Marker: 244.6 on the Autauga County bank of the Alabama River. The estimated volume of the UST is 12K gallons. The approximate size of the former UST is 8'x20'x8'. Contents and volume within the UST are unknown at this time.
OSC Ullock, the local US ACOE Ranger, and ERRS x 2 embarked by US ACOE boat, downriver approximately 10 miles from the Holy Ground Battlefield boatramp to the location of the UST. Cursory Air Monitoring was conducted around the tank. No detectable vapors were noted.
Given the size of the UST, and the scale and complexity of the rigging and recovery operation, OSC Ullock has requested marine assistance from the USCG-Gulf Strike Team. On 10/01/09, OSC Ullock, the USCG-GST x 3, and ERRS x 2 will return to the scene to begin recovery operations. Once UST is recovered and safely secured, the contents will be accessed, sampled and analyzed for proper disposal.
On 10/01/2009, OSC Ullock, USCG-GST and ERRS successfully rigged and recovered the UST using a USCG 24' Munson work boat. The UST was slowly towed back approx. 8 miles and secured at the Prarie Creek Campground boat ramp.
ERRS is aquiring price quotes for a hydraulic crane and flat bed tractor trailer and a scrap yard which will accept the UST.
Once the UST has been transported to the scrap yard, the UST will be safely accessed and the residual contents within will be sampled and anaylzed. If the tank conatins HAZMAT, ERRS will be prepared to clean out the tank prior to scrapping.
Removing the UST from the Public Campground ASAP.
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