Pollution/Situation Report Profile

Malpaso Asphalt
Fort Collins, CO - EPA Region VIII
POLREP #2
Final POLREP

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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Malpaso Asphalt - Removal Polrep
Final Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VIII

Subject:

POLREP #2
Final POLREP
Malpaso Asphalt
Z8D3
Fort Collins, CO
Latitude: 40.6973315 Longitude: -105.2551174

To:

From:

Craig Myers, OSC

Date:

9/30/2009

Reporting Period:

August 30th 2009 thru September 30th, 2009

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Site Number:	Z8D3	Contract Number:
D.O. Number:		Action Memo Date:
Response Authority:	OPA	Response Type:	Emergency
Response Lead:	EPA	Incident Category:	Removal Action
NPL Status:	Non NPL	Operable Unit:
Mobilization Date:	8/25/2009	Start Date:	8/25/2009
Demob Date:	9/3/2009	Completion Date:	9/30/2009
CERCLIS ID:		RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:		State Notification:
FPN#:	E09807	Reimbursable Account #:	2009 HR 08L0XD3 302D91C Z8D3

1.1.1 Incident Category

Classic Emergency

1.1.2 Site Description

On August 25th at approximately 10:30 AM, a tanker truck carrying hot asphalt crashed through the guardrail 7 miles up the Poudre Canyon on Hwy 14 Northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado. The trailer ruptured spilling 5,200 gallons of the 5,700 gallon load directly to the river. The accident site is located on US Forest Service land.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

See Previous POLREP.

2. Current Activities

2.1 Operations Section

2.1.1 Narrative
Starting Wednesday, August 26th, Belfor's crew began to experiment with the most effective ways to cut up and remove the taffy-like asphalt from the river. They started with saws, which proved to be ineffective. Eventually, home-made grappling hooks made from hay hooks, rope, digging bars and axes were found to be the most effective.

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date
August 25th
CSP, PFA, and Belfor arrange for the tanker to be hoisted from the river, securing the release.

August 26th
EPA and Belfor experiment and brainstorm on the best and most efficient ways to remove the asphalt. EPA's START contractor survey's the river below the accident to locate and GPS all strands of asphalt that need to be removed. Belfor has a small crew of 5-8 on scene.

August 27th
Belfor ramped up to a crew of 19 and began asphalt removal in earnest. They removed what was estimated to be 30% of the material remaining at the accident scene from the river. The material was bagged in drum liners and staged along the river bank.

August 28th
Belfor ramped up further to a crew of 25. They removed an additional 40% of the material remaining at the accident scene. Material continued to bag the material in drum liners, carrying the material by hand up the embankment and staging it for transportation down the canyon to awaiting roll-off containers. Belfor's crew also installed diversion screens in the river below the accident scene as a fail safe to catch any strands of asphalt that may break loose before they can be recovered.

EPA and Larimer County Sheriff's Office discovered three ducks that had become trapped in an asphalt strand on a rock overnight. The EPA OSC and LCSO cut the birds free, contacted CDOW, who took custody of the impacted birds and took them to a rehabilitation center. At this time, the OSC believes that two of the three have survived.

August 29th
Belfor maintained the crew of 25, removing nearly all of the remaining product at the accident scene from the water. Belfor loaded the staged bags of material on to stake bed trucks and transported them down to the roll off containers. Approximately 18 cubic yards of material was transported and loaded into the roll offs. Crews also finished the diversion screens by setting sealed sand bags on both sides of the wire screen to seal off the river bed and create a "cascade boom" like structure to either catch or divert any asphalt to the river bank where it can be collected.

August 30th
Belfor finished removing all asphalt from the river at the accident scene and continued working on cleaning the bank of oiled plants/shrubs. More material was transported down to the roll off containers, filling both available containers - 15 cubic yards each. Additional material - approximately 6 cubic yards - was staged near the roll off containers on a plastic liner awaiting additional roll off containers. Approximately 10 cubic yards of material is staged at the accident scene awaiting transportation down the mountain.

August 31st - September 3rd
Belfor continued removing strands of asphalt from the river. Belfor's crews utilized rafts to transport bagged material down river to a location where it was both easier to carry the recovered product up to the road as well as safer to load the material into trucks on the side of the road. On the final day, September 3rd, a second truck left the pavement and entered the Poudre River approximately 4 miles downstream from this site. Information on that spill can be found at www.epaosc.org/jjasphalt-poudreriver. This incident was witnessed by EPA's START contractor, who was on his way to document the end of the Malpaso cleanup.

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

Malpaso Trucking is the Responsible Party. Their insurance company is the one that hired Belfor. No order was issued.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

Waste Stream Medium Quantity Manifest # Treatment Disposal

asphalt product 25 cu yds N/A N/A Sub Title D

impacted shrubs 15 cu yds N/A N/A Sub Title D

2.2 Planning Section

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities
There are no further actions planned for this site. The USFS may pursue Malpaso and their insurance company to conduct further bank restoration at the accident site.

2.3 Logistics Section