U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Duchesne Oilfield Dumping Incident - Removal Polrep
Initial Removal Polrep
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VIII
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Subject:
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POLREP #1
Initial POLREP
Duchesne Oilfield Dumping Incident
Z8DM
Duchesne, UT
Latitude: 40.1569600 Longitude: -110.4014500
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To:
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From:
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Steven Merritt, On-Scene Coordinator
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Date:
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10/1/2010
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Reporting Period:
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9/24/2010 - 10/1/2010
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1. Introduction
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1.1 Background
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Site Number: |
Z8DM |
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Contract Number: |
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D.O. Number: |
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Action Memo Date: |
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Response Authority: |
OPA |
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Response Type: |
Emergency |
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Response Lead: |
EPA |
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Incident Category: |
Removal Action |
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NPL Status: |
Non NPL |
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Operable Unit: |
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Mobilization Date: |
9/27/2010 |
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Start Date: |
9/24/2010 |
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Demob Date: |
10/1/2010 |
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Completion Date: |
10/3/2010 |
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CERCLIS ID: |
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RCRIS ID: |
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ERNS No.: |
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State Notification: |
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FPN#: |
E10814 |
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Reimbursable Account #: |
Z8DM |
1.1.1 Incident Category
Illegal Dumping
1.1.2 Site Description
This removal action is in response to an illegal discharge of a petroleum hydrocarbon from a point source into waters of the United States, in violation of the provisions of the Clean Water Act. The initial response effort was undertaken locally. Once local resources were overwhelmed and additional resources were needed, the spill was reported to the National Response Center and an EPA On-Scene Coordinator was dispatched to the scene to assist with the response.
1.1.2.1 Location
The spill site is located in Duchesne, Utah, at the Duchesne County Fairgrounds. The spill location is a boat ramp where vehicles have direct access to the Strawberry River. The exact location of the discharge is 40.15696 latitude and -110.40145 longitude. The impacted waterways include the last mile of the Strawberry River and the three miles of the Duchesne River below the confluence with the Strawberry River. The Duchesne County Fairgrounds also host a water distribution point where tanker trucks, primarily those associated with oil production in the Uintah Basin, can fill up with fresh water.
1.1.2.2 Description of Threat
The contaminant of concern at this site is approximately 1,500 gallons or 35 barrels of Uintah Basin Crude Oil, which, along with an unknown amount of produced water, was deliberately discharged into the Strawberry River during the evening of September 23rd or early morning hours of September 24th. The paraffinetic oil, which was released at an elevated temperature, initially floated down the river, beyond the confluence with the Duchesne River, and impacted shorelines and vegetation along a four mile stretch of river. The oil cooled in the water, adhered to vegetation, and agglomerated into large solid masses. Smaller globules were trapped in aquatic vegetation at the surface of the river. The oil and produced water poses a threat to aquatic life, to downstream agricultural users, and to recreational users of the river.
1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results
The spill was discovered by a local resident walking along a recreational trail that parallels the Strawberry River on September 24, 2010 at around 1:30 PM. The Duchesne County Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and immediately alerted the Duchesne County Emergency Manager to the fact that there was a significant amount of oil throughout the Strawberry River. Local response resources from oil production facilities in the surrounding areas were deployed in an attempt to contain the oil and a limited assessment was performed to determine the extent of contamination. Duchesne County reached out to the TriCounty Health Department and Utah Department of Environmental Quality for technical assistance.
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2. Current Activities
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2.1 Operations Section
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2.1.1 Narrative
The emergency response actions taken at this site have been directed at immobilizing large quantities of paraffinic oil discharged into the Strawberry River, at containing mobile oil globules in impacted streches of both the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers, at collecting and removing bulk oil from impacted substrates, and at capturing and recovering as much oil as possible from the impacted rivers using flow adjustment and shoreline agitation. Given the viscous nature of the crude oil spilled, the delicate river ecosystems impacted by the spill, the concerns for threatened and endangered species in the impacted areas, and the concerns expressed by downstream water right holders, the response was focused on recovering as much discharged oil as possible without causing significant additional harm to the natural resources and habitat of the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers or the surrounding community.
2.1.2 Response Actions to Date
Friday, September 24th, 2010
Spill was discovered and reported to the Duchesne County Fire Department. The Duchesne County Sheriffs Department immediately launched a criminal investigation into the illegal dumping. Duchesne County officials immediately took action to mitigate the impact of the spill by contacting oil producers in the area to request containment support, by contacting Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) to discuss reducing flow in the Strawberry River, by reporting the spill to Utah Department of Environmental Quality and TriCounty Health Department, and by making arrangements to bring in a Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO) to begin cleaning up the spill. The OSRO, Envirocare, mobilized personnel and equipment from Salt Lake City to Duschesne. Containment boom was deployed along the Strawberry River and the Duchesne River.
UDEQ, Ute Tribe, and TriCounty Health Department officials also responded to the
scene to assess the situation and collect samples for analysis and fingerprinting. Limited initial reconnaissance indicated that only about a mile of river had been impacted by the heavy, waxy crude. Much of the oil along the shorelines was flowing, but the oil in the water was clumped together and solidified into congealed masses. The oil was likely much more viscous when dumped into the Strawberry River and it is likely that it was dumped at an elevated temperature.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The OSRO had 14 personnel mobilized to the site and was working to develop access points into the rivers, place containment boom, and remove oil contamination along the banks. Additional assessment revealed that the oil contamination was actually further from the original spill site than originally thought, extending past the confluence of the Strawberry and Duchesne River by approximately three miles. In total, one mile of the Strawberry River was contaminated from the Duchesne County Fairgrounds to the confluence with the Duchesne River, and three miles of the Duchesne River was contaminated from the confluence with the Strawberry River to the oxbow approximately halfway between Duchesne and Bridgeland.
The contamination throughout both rivers appeared to be black waxy Uintah Basin crude oil, which agglomerates at the lower temperatures of the river water. Based upon the initial assessment, an estimate of between 15 and 20 barrels of crude appeared to have been dumped into the river. The oil was much less dense than the water and none of it sank into the water column, so a "bathtub ring" was apparent on the shoreline once the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD) had decreased the flow in the Strawberry River to facilitate response efforts. The flow was reduced to 15 CFS from the original flow of 135 CFS at the time of the spill. These low flows were selected to maintain the minimum in-stream flows to provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife.
Duchesne County and Ute Tribe officials assisted the OSRO in gaining access to the river at points along the Duchesne River downstream of the confluence to facilitate response efforts. The OSRO provided Duchesne County with initial estimates of costs, projected timelines, and continued mobilizing response resources to the scene. Duchesne County and UDEQ discussed options for the funding of the response. There was some media interest in the incident and several media outlets were in contact with local officials for interviews and information about the spill.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
OSRO continued expanding the number of resources deployed to the incident given the need for manual removal of oil along the banks of the river and the quantity of boom deployed. Focus was on removing oil from near the origin of the spill, as it was easy to access with the vacuum truck. Additional crews were working downstream on the Duchesne River, mostly removing oil by hand in the morning when the oil is hard and temperatures are cool. In the afternoons, the oil begins to flow and become sticky, necessitating more labor and effort to remove it. There was additional effort to develop access points into the river from private property. Mike Lefler, Duchesne County Emergency Manager, and Kent Peatross, Duchesne County Commissioner, worked with landowners to get some additional points of access on the Duchesne River below the confluence with the Strawberry River.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDOW) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) expressed some concerns about the low flows in the Duchesne River and reported a small number of dead minnows recovered by the Sheriff's Department in the Strawberry River. UDOW indicated that they would collecting some of them, tagging them with time and location found, then freezing them for later analysis. USFWS discussed the presence of threatened and endangered species in the river near where the response is taking place. Both UDOW and USFWS described the minimum flows to sustain fish populations and the need to increase flow to reduce biological oxygen demand in the river.
Monday, September 27, 2010
The OSRO continued cleaning the area from the spill site to the end of the recreational path along the Strawberry River near the Duchesne County Fairgrounds with the vacuum truck. Additional crews were manually collecting oil along the full length of the impacted portion of the Duchesne River between the confluence and the oxbow. Priority of effort was to remove heavily oiled areas in the morning when the oil was still relatively solid and cool.
The first of a series of inter-agency coordination meetings was held at the Duchesne County Offices. Representatives from the OSRO, UDEQ, TriCounty Health Department, Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM), UDOW, USFWS, Bureau of Land Management, Trout Unlimited, water rights holders, CUWCD, and Duchesne County were in attendance. The OSRO representative gave an update on the progress of response activites, including the fact that over 2,200 feet of boom and 32 cleanup workers were being employed by the effort to address varying levels of contamination along the four miles of impacted banks in the two rivers. He also provided an estimate of the daily cost for the response effort and a projected completion of several weeks, which prompted extensive discussion by the County as to how they will afford these expenses.
Trina Hedrick of DWR gave an update on her observations/findings of the fishery above and below the Duchesne County Fairgrounds. Reports indicated that the fish are thriving, water quality conditions are favorable, and there are no substantial impacts to the fish at this time. She clarified that the recovered dead fish were minnows trapped in shallow pools that dried up when the river flows were reduced. There have been no reports of any impacts to wildlife except for the dead minnows, which were apparently young trout. USFWS had no urgent concerns related to the response activities
Duchesne County expressed concerns about cost of the response activities and how the determination is made to terminate the response, i.e. who defines how clean is "clean." The irrigators downstream are making demands upon Duchesne County officials to get the water back in the rivers, which is in direct conflict with the response activities that need the water to remain low until gross crude oil chunks are removed. TriCounty Health Department and UDEQ stated that the decision to terminate the response would depend on the water sampling results and how much of the visible oil has been cleaned up. Water quality monitoring staff collected water samples from four locations, including all of the impacted areas, to
assess the water quality impacts of the spill. A sample of the crude oil
material was collected last Friday and a complete analysis of that
sample will be run to attempt to "fingerprint" the sample. Results are expected before the end of the week and should indicate how much of the petroleum is getting into the water column.
Darrin Brown, TriCounty Health Department, notified the National Response Center of the spill. The National Response Center immediately contacted the EPA Region 8 Phone Duty Officer, who discussed the needs at the site with local representatives. The decision was made to immediately dispatch the EPA Region 8 Response Duty Officer, On-Scene Coordinator Steven Merritt to conduct an assessment.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
OSRO crews continued working to manually remove oil from the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers. There were approximately 54 personnel assigned to various areas and supporting the response activities. Manual removal along with vacuum truck operations were being employed to remove oil from areas accessible.
The EPA On-Scene Coordinator arrived and completed his assessment. He is advising the Duchesne County Commissioners on response activities. He advised the OSRO that cleanup efforts should be more tightly focused on removing the larger amounts of congealed crude immediately and that ancillary activities such as putting out multiple booms, utilizing vacuum trucks and skimmers, establishing multiple downstream access points, and conducting downstream recon be terminated until that effort is complete. He expressed optimism that with the existing resources tightly deployed on cleaning the gross contamination, followed by an increase in flow to each of the impacted rivers to mobilize residual oil fragments, the response could possibly be complete by Friday.
The EPA On-Scene Coordinator and the U.S. Coast Guard National Pollution Funds Center (NPFC) established an account for response to the spill. The EPA and Duchesne County initiated discussions about establishing a Pollution Reimbursement Funding Authorization which would enable the EPA to direct and fund the OSRO that has been contracted by Duchesne County for the duration of the response. Response costs incurred before NRC notification may not be eligible for the PRFA, but Duchesne County may be able to file a claim with the NPFC to adjudicate reimbursement for those expenses.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
OSRO reported that the manual oil recovery operation was complete near the fairgrounds and that the lower impacted area of the Duchesne River from the island north of the sewage lagoon to the oxbow was also complete. Containment booms are in place to facilitate recovery of the particulate oil once river flows are increased. Systematic cleaning of the river and multiple passes by the crew of 40 has ensured significant progress and achieved results earlier than originally anticipated. The OSRO estimated that approximately 16 bbl of crude oil has been recovered with the cleanup so far, with several hundred pounds of oiled debris also being removed.
John Swasey, Duchesne River Commissioner, expressed his concerns on behalf of the downstream water rights holders and requested water be released immediately. John reported that some stretches of the Duchesne River near Myton are in a very low flow mode, due to evaporation and unauthorized diversions. Kent Jones, State Engineer for the Utah Department of Natural Resources, drafted a letter on the issue that was
handed out at our meeting and sent to water rights holders. He is concerned about withholding
irrigators' water rights, and urges resumption of normal river flows
immediately. John Isanhart, USFWS, expressed similar concerns relative to the threatened and endangered species on the river. There are reports from biologists in the field that birds of prey are reportedly feasting on schools of fish that are trapped in relatively shallow pools. Chris Cline, USFWS, also expressed the importance of minimum flows in both rivers, citing the concern for threatened and endangered species.
Based upon the discussions with the OSRO and the stakeholders above, it was decided to increase the flows on the Duchesne River by releasing water from Stillwater Reservior to enable the channel to fill over the 30 miles of river above Duchesne. CUWCD explained that such a release could be moderated at the Knight Diversion approximately 4 miles above Duchesne, which collects water into Starvation Reservior that could be used to increase flows for the Strawberry as early as Saturday.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
OSRO installed a filter boom at the east end of the impacted Duchesne River in front of some containment boom. These filter booms are expected to perform better at recovering mobilized oil once flow in the river is increased. The focus of the manual oil recovery efforts along the banks of the Duchesne River was between the confluence and the north end of the wastewater treatment lagoons east of Duchesne, or approximately one mile of river. Other crews were assigned to remove the bagged oil and consolidate it into the roll-off dumpsters in the Duchesne County Fairgrounds. Additional crews were assigned to maintain boom and actively wash the smaller particulate oil into the main channel for recovery in containment booms.
The Duchesne River from the confluence down to the oxbow was declared "clean and free" of the gross oil during the day. Two controlled additions of water, 30 CFS at a time, were ordered into the Duchesne to begin raising the water level, filling the river channel, and mobilizing the smaller particles of oil to facilitate recovery. UDEQ provided a sampling crew to sample and measure water quality
parameters along the Duchesne River as flows were increased. Water is being released from the Stillwater Reservoir to fill the Duchesne River and surplus water is being diverted into nearby Starvation Reservior, which can be used to feed Strawberry Creek. The river has risen approximately 6 inched in most places as a result of the 60 CFS added. Crews are monitoring the booms to ensure effective containment as flows and velocity increase to track how much crude oil is collected and perform boom maintenance, as necessary. Once the Duchesne River began filling up, the bulk of the manual recovery crews were moved to the Strawberry River, from the confluence upstream toward the 400 South Bridge to clean oil from that last stretch before increasing flows from Starvation Reservior.
Ted Owens, EPA Criminal Investigation Division, based in Salt Lake City, visited the site and met with local officials and the EPA OSC to offer
his assistance and expertise toward solving this crime and finding the perpetrator. He agreed to coordinate
his efforts with the Duchesne County Sheriff's Department.
Friday, October 1, 2010
CUWCD increased the flow in the Duchesne River by 70 CFS early in the morning, bringing the total flow to 140 CFS to enable OSRO crews monitoring containment boom to begin mobilizing and recovering the remaining pellets of oil trapped in vegetation along the banks. A majority of crews were working on manual removal of oil along the final stretch of the Strawberry River from the confluence to the 400 South bridge. This area remained as the last heavily oiled area and crews removed a significant quantity of oil from the river before the temperatures rose and began melting the oily globs. Once this last section could be determined to be free of recoverable marble-sized and larger globs of oil, contact was made with CUWCD to begin increasing flows on the Strawberry River from 15 CFS to 50 CFS so that trapped oil could be mobilized into containment booms for recovery. Crews remained on the Duchesne River to monitor the boom sets there as the additional flow was added and they actively moved any small oil fragments into the main channel for recovery on the boom.
The PRFA between EPA and Duchesne County was finalized, as was the plan for the disposal of the recovered oil, oily debris, and liquid waste produced during the response. Additionally, the authority for oversight of the remainder of the incident and demobilization was transferred back to Duchesne County and the Unified Command from the EPA On-Scene Coordinator, who demobilized from the site.
2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)
Unknown. Investigations ongoing by the Duchesne County Sheriffs Department and the EPA Criminal Investigation Division. A $10,000 reward has been offered by the Duchesne County Sheriffs Department for information leading to the perpetrator of this incident.
2.1.4 Progress Metrics
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Medium |
Quantity |
Treatment |
Disposal |
Crude Oil (Recovered)
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Liquid |
~18 bbls
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None |
Landfill |
Oiled Substrate
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Solid |
1500 lbs
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None |
Landfill |
Oily Water
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Liquid |
6000 gallons
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Produced Water Treatment Facility
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None
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2.2 Planning Section
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2.2.1 Anticipated Activities
Coordinate with Duchesne County to establish a Pollution Reimbursement Funding Authorization (PRFA) through the U.S. Coast Guard National Pollution Funds Center (NPFC) under which the OSRO can continue response activities without interruption under the direction and authority of the EPA On-Scene Coordinator.
2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities
1. Complete gross removal of crude oil on the Duchesne River below the confluence with the Strawberry River.
2. Increase flow of Duchesne River to facilitate mobilization of remaining free product crude oil into containment booms and filter booms.
3. Collect and recover mobilized oil at containment booms and filter booms on the Duchesne River.
4. Remove unnecessary/ineffective boom from Duchesne River and Strawberry Rivers.
5. Complete gross removal of crude oil on the lower Strawberry River.
6. Increase flow of Strawberry River to facilitate mobilization of remaining free product crude oil into containment booms and filter booms.
7. Collect and recover mobilized oil at containment booms and filter booms on the Strawberry River.
8. Properly dispose of collected crude oil, oily debris and recovered oily water.
9. Demobilize majority of OSRO personnel and resources, leaving a skeleton crew to monitor booms and recover mobilized oil.
10. Monitor primary containment booms until recovery is negligible and then remove primary containment booms.
11. Demobilize remaining OSRO resources.
2.2.1.2 Next Steps
Continue close coordination with local, state, and federal partners to ensure that the response effort is promptly and efficiently concluded, while ensuring that all actions taken are consistent with the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan, eliminating the threat to human health and the environment, and minimizing any response-related deleterious impacts to the Duchesne and Strawberry Rivers.
2.2.2 Issues
Response costs prior to NRC notification of the spill on September 27, 2010, are not insignificant for Duchesne County or the Ute Tribe. It is likely that these costs will be presented as claims to the National Pollution Funds Center for adjudication once the removal action is completed.
Outreach for and communication with industry, local, state and federal partners is essential to ensuring that all spills are reported in a timely fashion and that EPA response resources can be mobilized to the scene of a spill as soon as possible. In this case, the NRC notification came more than three days after the discovery of the spill and a substantial amount of response resources had already been deployed under an emergency contract between the OSRO and Duchesne County.
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2.3 Logistics Section
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N/A
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2.4 Finance Section
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No information available at this time.
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2.5 Other Command Staff
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2.5.1 Safety Officer
N/A
2.6 Liaison Officer
N/A
2.7 Information Officer
2.7.1 Public Information Officer
There have been several media stories focused on the incident and the response effort. EPA has participated in only one formal interview as part of the Unified Command. There has been a media presence for several of the coordination meetings. The Duchesne County Emergency Manager has been serving as the PIO throughout this incident, updating media outlets on the progress of the response and the ongoing criminal investigation
2.7.2 Community Involvement Coordinator
Duchesne County Sheriffs Department has been providing assistance to the Unified Command in the area of community involvement and coordination; notifying area residents and helping coordinate access for spill responders.
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3. Participating Entities
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3.1 Unified Command
Duchesne County
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Ute Indian Tribe
TriCounty Health Department
3.2 Cooperating Agencies
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Central Utah Water Conservancy District
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4. Personnel On Site
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Kent Peatross - Duchesne County Commissioner
Ron Winterton - Duchesne County Commissioner
Mike Lefler - Duchese County Emergency Manager
Travis Mitchell - Duchesne County Sheriff
Misty Bruns - Ute Indian Tribe Emergency Manager
Dinah Peltier - Bureau of Indian Affairs Deputy Superintendent
Scott Hacking - Utah Department of Environmental Quality District Engineer
Darrin Brown - TriCounty Health Department Environmental Health Director
John Swayse - Duchesne River Commissioner
Keith Hooper - Central Utah Water Conservancy District Duchesne Area Manager
Tom Brunton - Central Utah Water Conservancy District Duchesne Area Manager
Scott Divin - OSRO Operations Manager
Tony Del Rosso - OSRO Foreman
Ivan Ayers - OSRO Foreman
Steven Merritt - EPA On-Scene Coordinator
Ted Owens - EPA Criminal Investigator
Chris Cline - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scientist
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5. Definition of Terms
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NPFC - U.S. Coast Guard National Pollution Funds Center
PRFA - Pollution Reimbursement Funding Authorization
OSRO - Oil Spill Response Organization
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6. Additional sources of information
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6.1 Internet location of additional information/report
For additional information, please see the following website:
www.epaosc.org/DuchesneOilfieldDumping
6.2 Reporting Schedule
The next POLREP will document the completion of the removal action.
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7. Situational Reference Materials
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No information available at this time.
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