Elementary School

MARCOR quickly responded to an oil release that contaminated soil and a nearby creek.

Project Details

• Client: Elementary School, Frederick, MD
• Contaminants: Petroleum (#2 fuel oil)
• Regulatory Aspects: EPA; Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)
• Contract Value: $125,000

Related Services

• Emergency Spill Response

Background

Observation wells are typically drilled adjacent to USTs and are used to determine groundwater level. The information is then incorporated into tank tightness test result calculations.

An independent tank testing company hit an obstruction near an elementary school's 10,000-gallon heating oil tank. Workers were drilling a groundwater observation well in preparation for a tank tightness test when the auger hit the #2 fuel oil return line. Subsequently, oil was discovered in the observation hole, and the oil-filled underground storage tank (UST) was discovered to have several perforations due to corrosion. A 25-gallon oil leak was reported to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). School officials called in MARCOR.

Job Description

MARCOR responded to the emergency with a four-member team. We mobilized reinforcements when the #2 fuel oil release was discovered to be much more extensive than originally reported.

Notified of the relatively small petroleum release within the required two-hour time frame, MDE arrived to check site conditions and was satisfied that MARCOR was already at the scene. Petroleum sheen and free product on the banks of a nearby creek were observed up to one-and-a-half miles downstream. The water was high and over its banks, and free product was trapped in pools along the banks. After thorough inspection of the site, MDE estimated the release at 700 to 1000 gallons. MARCOR quickly responded with a 30-member emergency team.

MARCOR contained the free-floating oil and absorbed the product and oily sheen with booms and absorbent pads. Several areas where trees had fallen into the water held back pools of product, preventing oil from flowing to the recovery area. Our technicians utilized chain saws, pry bars, and digging bars to free the pools of product so they could flow downstream into the boomed off recovery area. Once the oil was contained, MDE required installation of monitoring wells to determine the extent of subsurface contamination. The independent tank testing company installed the wells. They were also required to excavate oil-saturated soils from a downstream farm.

Prepared for the Unexpected

Preparedness and ability to affect a timely response are central to our emergency response services.

Quick response, expert service, and our pivotal role in the emergency cleanup earned the confidence of a new client and led to MARCOR's award of the UST replacement project. When free product and contaminated groundwater were discovered during excavation, de-watering procedures were required prior to the new tank installation. Residual product and contaminated groundwater were treated on site with MARCOR's portable, trailer-mounted groundwater treatment system. We removed the old 10,000-gallon steel UST and installed a 10,000-gallon, double-walled fiberglass replacement right on schedule

For additional information, call MARCOR's corporate headquarters at 1-800-547-0128 or send email to info@marcor.com.