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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 #10
Special - OPA 90 Work Plan 4 Additional Funding Request to Continue Replugging Efforts
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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 #10
Special - OPA 90 Work Plan 4 Additional Funding Request to Continue Replugging Efforts
Beaver Creek Bridge Crude Oil Spill

Glasgow, KY
Latitude: 36.9914130 Longitude: -85.9861300


To:
From: Perry Gaughan, OSC
Date: 1/22/2015
Reporting Period: 1/22/2015

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 emanating from the Harrison No. 2 abandoned oil well 80 feet from Beaver Creek. There are two additional abandoned oil wells on the flood plain but test trenching operations conducted in December of 2014 confirmed the source as the Harrison No. 2 well. According to Kentucky Oil and Gas, this well was most likely improperly plugged in the mid 1980's.  

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.

The Harrison No. 2 well 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. 

2. Current Activities
  2.1 Operations Section
    2.1.1 Narrative

Based on the continuing release of crude oil to Beaver Creek and test trenching operations indicating that the crude oil continued to come from the Harrison No.2 Well plugged in early October 2014, the OSC requested and received additional funding from NPFC in December 2014. Emphasis during this replugging effort would be centered around removing the abandoned 2" production tubing left in the well from a depth of 200-600 feet.

Operations during early January 2015 were hampered by bad, corroded casing at 30 feet which necessitated the purchase and placing of new 5 1/2 " casing during the week of January 12th. After some initial efforts at placing the new casing failed, the new casing was finally set on January 19th and current operations have returned to removing the 2" production tubing at a depth of 200 feet.
 
Additional funding is needed to continue this operation and to set a cast iron bridge plug at 600 feet, the oil producing zone. 

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

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

Continue removal/ milling through the 2" production tubing from 200 to 600 feet and place a new cast iron bridge plug at the oil producing zone. The well will be cemented from 600 feet to land surface.  

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.