Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics : a Study of Historic Spills and Literature
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TUNDRA SPILL CLEANUP AND REMEDIATION TACTICS: A STUDY OF HISTORIC SPILLS AND LITERATURE Prepared by 1Christina B. Behr-Andres, 1Janice K. Wiegers, 1Stephanie D. Forester, and 2Jeffery S. Conn 1AMEC Earth & Environmental 3504 Industrial Avenue, Suite 5 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 2Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 610 University Avenue Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 May 2001 1-024-01292-1 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation May 2001 Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics Page (ii) TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................3 2.0 BACKGROUND ......................................................3 2.1 Spilled Substances ..............................................3 2.2 Spills to Tundra .................................................5 2.3 Tundra Types ..................................................6 2.4 Factors Affecting Spill Fate and Effects ..............................9 2.4.1 Factors Affecting Spills During Winter/Freezeup .................12 2.4.2 Factors Affecting Spills During Spring Thaw/Summer .............13 2.5 Spill Response Tactics ...........................................14 2.5.1 Short Term Tactics .......................................14 2.5.2 Long Term Tactics ........................................14 3.0 METHODS .........................................................15 3.1 Information Gathering ...........................................16 3.1.1 Literature Review.........................................16 3.1.2 ADEC File Review ........................................17 3.1.3 Oil Industry Spill Databases Review ..........................17 3.2 Tundra Spill Database ..........................................17 3.3 Stereotypical Spills .............................................19 4.0 RESULTS ..........................................................21 4.1 Tundra Spill Database ..........................................21 4.2 Stereotypical Spill Descriptions ....................................24 STEREOTYPICAL SPILL: Refined Petroleum Products .................28 STEREOTYPICAL SPILL: Crude Oil ................................44 STEREOTYPICAL SPILL: Saline Waters ............................59 STEREOTYPICAL SPILL: Drilling Fluids .............................67 STEREOTYPICAL SPILL: Synthetic Fluids...........................74 5.0 DISCUSSION .......................................................79 5.1 Area Impacted by Spills .........................................79 5.2 Duration of Spill Response and Restoration Efforts ....................80 5.3 Phytotoxic Effects of Spills .......................................80 5.4 Factors Influencing Vegetative Recovery Rates .......................81 5.5 Natural Attenuation Versus Active Remediation .......................81 6.0 RESEARCH NEEDS BASED ON DATA GAPS .............................82 7.0 CONCLUSIONS .....................................................83 8.0 REFERENCES ......................................................85 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation May 2001 Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics Page (iii) LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure 1. Distribution of Tundra Types in Alaska ...............................8 Figure 2. Size Distribution of all Tundra Spill Events and Total Volumes Spilled in Each Size Category ........................................... 22 Figure 3. Size Distribution of all Tundra Spill Events for each Type of Substance Spilled .......................................................23 Figure 4. The Volume of the Largest Spill Event to Tundra and the Total Volume Spilled (gallons) for Each Substance ...............................23 Figure 5. Percentage of Spills Occurring by Substance Type, Tundra Type, and Season ......................................................26 Figure 6. Comparison of Crude Oil Spills in Wet and Moist Tundra That Have Been Cleaned Up, and Experimental Spills Where No or Limited Cleanup Occurred .....................................................82 LIST OF TABLES PAGE Table 1. Spills on Alaskan Tundra Reported in the ADEC Database (July 1995 through March 2000) .............................................6 Table 2. Common Characteristics of Plant Communities in Arctic Tundra ...........7 Table 3. Factors Affecting Spill Fate and Response in Tundra Environments ........10 Table 4. Climatic Factors in Tundra Regions of Arctic Alaska ....................11 Table 5. Seasonal Factors Affecting Spill Fate and Effects in Tundra Environments . 12 Table 6. Regional Tundra Classification and Mapping References ................15 Table 7. Number of Spills Identified as Examples for Stereotypical Spill Scenarios . 19 Table 8. Number of Spills with Information about Treatment Tactics, Impacts, and Recovery.....................................................20 Table 9. Tundra Spill Database Volumes ...................................21 Table 10. Location of Reviewed Spills on Tundra ..............................24 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation May 2001 Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics Page (iv) LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A Tundra Type Delineation APPENDIX B Bibliography APPENDIX D Tundra Spill Database APPENDIX D Tundra Spill Case Studies Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation May 2001 Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics Page (1) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) manual, Tundra Treatment Guidelines, provides guidance on cleanup protocols for spill response in tundra environments. However, when a spill occurs, it can be difficult to choose among the possible response options and decision-making during spill response must be done relatively quickly. This document provides an assessment of historic spills and assimilates the results to produce guidance for future spill response. The premise of this effort is that the experience gained from past spills provides a basis for future tundra spill-response decision-making. It is noted that historic reporting is not complete and there is little information on some types of spills. The recommendations provided in this document are based upon the information available. As more information is obtained from future spills, the recommendations should be updated. The report includes background information about the characteristics of spilled substances including crude oil, refined petroleum products, drilling muds, saline waters, and synthetic fluids (methanol, glycols, and Therminol). Factors affecting spill fate are described, including properties of the spilled substance, climatic conditions, and tundra type. Summaries are provided for the immediate and short-term spill response actions, as well as long-term or restorative methods. After reviewing published literature, State spill records, and oil-industry databases, a “Tundra Spills” database was compiled. This database represents reported spills that occurred on or moved into the tundra at volumes greater than 50 gallons. Analyses of this database demonstrates that the largest cumulative volumes of spilled substances released into the tundra environment are associated with the largest spill events (those greater than 15,000 gallons). Despite the large number of smaller spills, their cumulative volumes are less than those of the larger spills. Drilling muds, crude oil, and saline waters comprise the largest spill events recorded in the database, at 147,000, 63,000, and 63,000 gallons, respectively. The most common types of spills recorded are those with less than 500 gallons of diesel spilled (44% of reported cases), spills in a wet tundra environment (74% of reported cases), and spills during the winter (52% of reported cases). Analysis of the database also resulted in describing stereotypical spills for each substance. Stereotypical spills are generic spill types representative of the similar characteristics present in the larger group of spills identified in the database. The lessons learned from these spills are presented following each spill type. The assessment of all the available information on tundra spill response reveals notable data gaps. There is a need for more quantitative information on the effectiveness of specific response tactics, the time required for tundra recovery, and the effects of spills on vegetation (dose-response relationships) in different tundra habitats. Despite these data gaps, there are lessons to be learned from the available information that will aid decision makers in spill response activities. Notable amongst the information gleaned from the literature and spill files are soil concentrations of spilled substances which have been observed to be injurious to tundra vegetation during specific spill events, primarily on the wet and moist tundra of the North Slope oilfields. Tundra vegetation has been severely injured with diesel range organic (DRO) levels of 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) levels of 13,000 mg/kg following a crude spill were not injurious to tundra vegetation while TPH levels greater than 100,000 mg/kg were found to be toxic to tundra plants. Following spills of saline water, it was found that conductivity Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation May 2001 Tundra Spill Cleanup and Remediation Tactics Page (2) readings of 2 to 3 millimhos per centimeter (mmhos/cm) caused moderate damage to tundra plants and conductivity measurements of 6 to 10 mmhos/cm caused