THE ASHLAND OIL SPILL, FLOREFFE, PA — CASE HISTORY AND RESPONSE EVALUATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT On January 2, 1988, a storage tank at the Ashland Oil Terminal, Floreffe, Pennsylvania, near the Monongahela River 24 miles upstream of Pittsburgh, suffered an instantaneous and complete failure, releasing 90,000 barrels (about 3.9 million gallons) of diesel oil into the environment. The speed and volume of the release made “first aid” almost impossible. Within hours, an estimated 18,000 barrels (750,000 gallons) of diesel had entered the river. Responders were faced with a power and communication lines shutdown, contaminated potable water intakes, oil dispersion from river currents and turbulence resulting from numerous river dams, and life-threatening weather conditions, with temperatures often below 0°F. With the U.S. Coast Guard as first federal official on scene (FFOS) and the Environmental Protection Agency acting as on-scene coordinator (OSC), a thoroughly integrated response organization of federal, state, local, and interstate agencies evolved. Once the situation was stabilized, aggressive restoration of the Ashland site by traditional removal techniques began. However, significant factors challenged the scientific community throughout river recovery areas. First, as contamination became suspended throughout the water column, water supply intakes at all depths were affected, resulting in water shortages for most of the population downstream as far as 200 miles. Supplying potable water and technical assistance to water authorities prompted questions about the use of 311 (k) for activities not clearly defined as cleanup. Additionally, cold weather caused extensive freezing, and ice cover limited full use of absorbent materials and equipment. Finally, river access points also hampered boom deployment and surface oil recovery. This case demonstrated the benefits of contingency planning and revealed areas where additional coordination might be accomplished. The associated Ashland site restoration continues to the present time.