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Beaver Creek Bridge Crude Oil Spill

All POL/SITREP's for this site Beaver Creek Bridge Crude Oil Spill
Glasgow, KY - EPA Region IV
POLREP #5
Special - OPA 90 Work Plan 2 - Additional Funding Request to Continue Response
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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Beaver Creek Bridge Crude Oil Spill - Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region IV

Subject: POLREP #5
Special - OPA 90 Work Plan 2 - Additional Funding Request to Continue Response
Beaver Creek Bridge Crude Oil Spill

Glasgow, KY
Latitude: 36.9914130 Longitude: -85.9861300


To:
From: Perry Gaughan, OSC
Date: 11/5/2014
Reporting Period: 11/05/2014

1. Introduction
  1.1 Background
   
Site Number: Z4ZB    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: 9/19/2014    Start Date: 9/19/2014
Demob Date:      Completion Date:  
CERCLIS ID:    RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:    State Notification:
FPN#: E14459    Reimbursable Account #:

1.1.1 Incident Category
Region 4 Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB) responded to a continuous release of crude oil along a one half mile section of Beaver Creek three miles west of Glasgow, Kentucky. Response efforts were initially requested by Kentucky Dept Environmental Protection (KDEP) and are being performed under the OSC's Oil Pollution Act authority. 

1.1.2 Site Description
The spill Site is along the flood plain of a 50 acre farm three miles west of Glasgow. Crude oil continues to emanate from a creek bank into a 100 yard section of Beaver Creek in a remote section of the creek. Approximately a one half mile stretch of the creek has been impacted. The spill is located immediately south of a recent interchange construction by Kentucky DOT along the Louie B. Nunn Expressway between Interstate 65 and Glasgow, Ky.  

1.1.2.1 Location
The spill is located along Beaver Creek on a 50 acre farm along State Route 1297 where it runs under the Louie B. Nunn Expressway. 

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat
The crude oil release is most likely emanating from one of three abandoned oil wells along the flood plain. The most likely scenario is that one or more wells were improperly plugged or cemented during well closure and crude oil is communicating with groundwater levels below surface. 

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results
EPA working with Kentucky DEP and the property owner has located three former well locations which could potentially be the source of crude. Kentucky DOT has recently built an interchange on the L. Nunn Expressway on an 8 acre parcel of the farm upgradient of the creek.

An abandoned oil well located 80 feet from the spill was uncovered and cemented on October 3rd by EPA and ERRs contractors (reference Polrep #3). However, crude oil continues to flow from the creek bank after four weeks of rain and groundwater flow to flush saturated soils around the well casing.

2. Current Activities
  2.1 Operations Section
    2.1.1 Narrative

Wednesday, November 5th

Additional Funding is requested to continue assessment and response efforts along the creek bank of Beaver Creek three miles west of Glasgow, Kentucky. EPA ERT has also been tasked to assist the OSC in determining if additional unfound exploratory wells are in the vicinity of the creek bank with EPA START contractors. Assessment activities will include magnetometer, VLF (very low frequency), EM 31 studies, soil gas studies and crude oil fingerprinting to determine producing formation.

Funding for ERRs contractors to continue to switch out absorbent boom and pads along the 100 yard stretch of creek bank is also needed over the next two months. The OSC plans to excavate test trenches around the casing of two additional wells on the flood plain to assess wether they are leaking crude oil to the creek.

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

The OSC is working with Kentucky Oil and Gas in identifying previous drillers in the area. Once identified, EPA will pursue normal responsible party liability and request plugging records by operators. Wells in this area of Kentucky date back to 1930's to 1940's. Wells in an area of Boyds Creek less than ten miles from this site date back to 1865 (Civil War). 

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

Waste Stream Medium Quantity Manifest # Treatment Disposal
           
           
           


  2.2 Planning Section
    2.2.1 Anticipated Activities

Assessment activities to find buried abandoned wells in the vicinity of the creek bank will be conducted with EPA ERT and START contractors. Assessment activities will include magnetometer, VLF (very low frequency), EM 31 studies, soil gas studies and crude oil fingerprinting to determine producing formation.
ERRs will continue creek "mopping" operation.

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

Methodical plugging of all abandoned oil wells along the flood plain until the threat has been mitigated. 

2.2.1.2 Next Steps

2.2.2 Issues

  2.3 Logistics Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.4 Finance Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.5 Other Command Staff
    No information available at this time.

3. Participating Entities
  3.1 Unified Command

3.2 Cooperating Agencies
Kentucky DEP, Kentucky Oil and Gas, Kentucky DOT

4. Personnel On Site
  ERRs (CMC Inc. ) - 1 response manager, 4 laborers.

5. Definition of Terms
  No information available at this time.

6. Additional sources of information
  No information available at this time.

7. Situational Reference Materials
  No information available at this time.