July 10 "Unified Command" Notice of Oil Spill Clean up Progress
GROVE INCIDENT PROGRESS REPORT July 10, 2016
HEALTH AND AIR QUALITY: The results of ongoing air monitoring and sampling indicate that the air is safe to breathe in the community surrounding Prince Barranca. These results are being shared daily to the Grove Incident Unified Command (UC), which includes representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW/OSPR), and Crimson Pipeline. Air monitoring and sampling results have also been reviewed by the Ventura County Department of Public Health. The Ventura County Department of Public Health was satisfied that the air monitoring operations are both thorough and complete and expressed that the reported results do not suggest a risk to public health.
TRAFFIC CONTROL AND SECURITY: To minimize traffic impacts in the area, the UC arranged to use Ventura High School as a staging area, and the response team is being shuttled to and from the neighborhood each day. The Unified Command is aware that the Ventura County Fair begins August 3 and will arrange to park vehicles in a different location if the cleanup is still in progress. The onsite security team continues to monitor the area.
ENVIRONMENT: Every effort is being made to minimize the impact to the canyon. After completion of cleanup, CDFW/OSPR will be conducting an assessment of what needs to be done to restore the canyon to a pre-spill condition. Trained personnel continue to work at deterring wildlife from entering the spill area and continue to search for oiled wildlife. Tree and bush removal will only be done if warranted, and the area will be replanted following completion of cleanup.
CLEAN-UP: Schedule/Timeline: Owing to the complexity of this response, the UC is being thorough in their approach to the cleanup techniques being employed; therefore, an exact timeline cannot be predicted. As soon as the UC has a better idea of the duration of the cleanup, the local residents will be notified. To minimize noise impacts, cleanup operations will not begin before 7am and will not continue after 5pm. Soil removal: The process to remove soil soaked with oily liquid takes time and is in progress. The amount of soil and oil removed from the canyon will be provided at the end of the response. Clean-up methods: Patriot Environmental Services and National Response Corporation Environmental Services have been removing oil from the spill area with vacuum trucks, hand shoveling, and other mechanical methods. An estimated 620 yards of the channel was impacted. Controlled water wash is also being conducted in a portion of the affected area due to access, safety, and bluff stabilization concerns.
PIPELINE STATUS: The State Fire Marshall’s office has determined that the integrity of the line is not in question and gave approval for the line to restart on Thursday evening, June 30. After following all necessary procedures, the line went back into service on the evening of Friday, July 1. The State Fire Marshall conducted the following activities related to the inspection of the pipeline repair: Non-destructive tests and measurements Review and approve start up procedures Verify pressure test was completed with no leaks Monitor line fill process
INVESTIGATION: CDFW/OSPR, the State Fire Marshall, and the County District Attorney’s office are jointly investigating the cause of this spill. The investigation is ongoing. The results of the investigation could lead to an enforcement action by the District Attorney’s office and the State of California. The investigation of the spill is separate from cleanup operations, and outside the jurisdiction of the Unified Command. 3 NEIGHBORHOOD FEEDBACK AND RESOURCES: For any safety concerns contact the Grove Incident Neighborhood Response at (805) 833-0177. Residents wishing to file a claim can do so via email at claims@crimsonpl.com or by calling (562) 285-4128. Visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/CalSpillWatch for more information, FAQ’s and the Community Air Monitoring and Sampling Summary. We will provide residents with a progress report as needed via email and posted online at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/CalSpillWatch. The Grove Incident Unified Command is focused on the cleanup and will continue to give you the latest information. If you would like to be added to this email distribution list, please email OSPRLiaison@wildlife.ca.gov. Going forward, the VC Alert Emergency Notification System will only be used when there is a threat to health or safety of residents. Residents may request VC Alert notifications by texting “VCALERT” to “313131”.