Incident Report Subject: CANADA - TANK SPILLS 220,000 GALLONS OF ASPHALT OIL IN WEST VANCOUVER, LIQUID CONTAINED TO ASPHALT FACILITY Date of Email report: Thu 23/01/2014 Report Detail:
A tank spilled an estimated 220,000 gallons of liquid asphalt at a west Vancouver asphalt plant Wednesday morning. Workers discovered the spill around 7 a.m. Wednesday at Albina Asphalt, 1300 W. Eighth Street. President Jeff Arntson said a load of asphalt was sold around 5:30 a.m. and there were no problems in the tank farm. About 90 minutes later, workers discovered the spill. The Southwest Washington Clean Air Agency and the Department of Ecology were notified, along with the neighboring Port of Vancouver. The floor of the tank evidently failed, forming a hole, which spilled hot asphalt oil into a containment area, said SWCAA executive director Bob Elliott. The oil flowed downhill, forming a pool about 2 feet deep. “It’s a large enough quantity it’s going to take some considerable effort on the part of Albina Asphalt and their contractor to clean up the site,” Elliott said. “At this point in time, it’s not clear how long the clean-up will take.” The liquid asphalt is contained inside the property, which is surrounded by a dike, Elliott said. The odor released by the spill was minimal, Elliott said. One neighbor to the northeast complained to SWCAA about the smell. “We’re attempting to recover as much of it as we can while it’s still flowing,” Arntson said. Linda Kent, spokeswoman with the Department of Ecology, said that 20,000 to 30,000 gallons will be vacuumed up into other tanks. Once the rest solidifies, it will have to be removed with excavators and front loaders. Kent said that it’s too soon to determine whether any soil absorbed the liquid and will have to be removed as well. “One of the good pieces of news is that it didn’t reach water,” Kent said, adding that no one was hurt. The SWCAA and the Department of Ecology are monitoring the spill, though the cause remains undetermined. The facility is one of three regional plants run by Albina Fuel, a distributor of petroleum products in Oregon and southwest Washington. The other two plants are in Klamath Falls and Madras, Ore.
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