Sometime between 08/18/06 and 08/23/06, the TA Travel Center Truck Stop located adjacent to 1-10 Westbound, in Grand Bay, Alabama experienced an waste oil spill associated with the facility's oil and water seperator. Operator error is suspected as the primary cause of the overflow spill.
On 08/23/06, at approx. 1130hrs., OCS Ullock rec'd NRC Report #808840. OSC Ullock contacted the Alabama department of Environmental Management Department, Mobile Field Office, Emergency Responder and informed the responder that OSC Ullock was enroute to the scene.
At 1315 hrs. OSC Ullock arrived on-scene and was met by 2 members of the ADEM-Mobile Field Office, 2 members of the USCG-Sector Mobile, the clean up contractor and one member of the Baldwin Co. Environmental Enforcement Department.
OSC Ullock walked the spill which originated from the underground o/w seperator located near the truck stop garage area where oil changes were performed to a stormwater drainage ditch approximately 600 yards to the east. Clean up contrators were activily recovering oil at the stormwater discharge point. It is estimated that between 500 and 700 gallons were recovered at this location. At some point subsequent to the o/w seperator overflow, a significant rain event carried the oil in the ditch and conveyed the oil slick within the ditch, down gradient approximately 300 yards to the south. As the rain water subsided, residual oil was deposited unto a flat, grassy area approximately 200 sq. yards in area. No US Waters were impacted as a result of the spill.
OSC and fellow responders interviewed the terminal manager to inquire about the cause of the spill. A copy of the facility's SPCC Plan was retrieved for review. The terminal manager was not certain what caused the overflow, but subsequent discussions with TA Travel Center's corporate environmental officals located offsite suggested that established SOP maintainance protocols for the terminal's oil and water seperator were not followed, resulting in the spill.
The clean up contractor was instructed to continue recovering all free product oil, conduct a 2" surface scrape of soil within the impacted drainage ditch, perform confirmation sampling of the ditch, "weed wac" all oily vegetation, vacuum out the Oil and Water Seperator including sludge bottoms, recharge the oil/water seperator with the proper amount of water, then backfill and stabize the drainage ditch with sorbents and haybales once clean confirmation sample were obtained.
OSC Ullock returned to the spill scene on the morning of 08/24/06 and observed that corrective clean up actions were ongoing.
