W-3 11986 United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Emergency 3rd Edition and Remedial Response April 1986 Washington DC 20460 HW-3 ~ EPA's Emergency Response Program JGER , *TS2 WATER I I OUT I ONLY U.S. Environmental Protection Ageno.y ReR;on V, LI'JI y-j 23U South Dearborn Street fr>i-'-o. Illinois 60604 ------- ,S. Environmental Protection Agency ------- EPA's Emergency Response Program Train derailments can re- lease hazardous sub- stances over large areas, possibly requiring evacua- tion of nearby residents. In satisfying the American public's demand for sophisti- cated products, modern technology's response is in- genious and complex Sometimes that technology generates toxic by-products as well—hazardous wastes Effective and safe handling of such wastes has im- proved tremendously under rapidly-advancing disposal technology In 1976, the Re- source Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was enacted, for the first time establishing controls for the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes. Although it provided the tools to track and regulate the handling of such sub- stances, RCRA did not deal with existing hazardous sites that had become trouble- some as a result of past improper disposal practices. These sites, as well as accidents in handling or transporting hazardous substances, can present emergency situations requir- ing an immediate cleanup or removal Federal authority to respond to releases of oil and hazard- ous substances into the na- tion's navigable waters is found under Section 311 of ------- Emergency Response Program The swollen bottom on this drum indicates a serious threat of leakage. the Clean Water Act This authority, which is assigned to the Environmental Protec- tion Agency and the Coast Guard, has existed for over a decade. The Clean Water Act also established a fund to finance these responses. However, it provided only limited authority and limited funds to tackle the variety of problems caused by release of hazardous substances into land, ground water, and air. Superfund To provide a more effective and comprehensive re- sponse to the foregoing problems, Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environ- mental Response, Compen- sation, and Liability Act of 1980. Popularly referred to as "Superfund," CERCU\ and Section 311 of the Clean Water Act permit the Federal government to work with State and local govern- ments to provide an immedi- ate and comprehensive re- sponse to accidental release of hazardous substances. Superfund cleanups are financed by a trust fund. ------- Emergency Response Program Barges carrying large car- goes of hazardous materi- als may break loose and strike bridges and other structures. This barge was secured in time, preventing potentially serious damage to the waterway. The fund can be used to provide both emergency and longer-term cleanup of releases of hazardous substances and inactive waste sites. In 1968 the Federal govern- ment established the first National Contingency Plan to respond to emergencies caused by oil spills and releases of hazardous sub- stances in navigable waters CERCU\ required EPA to re- vise and republish the Plan to cover all of the actions which can now betaken un- der both Superfund and the Clean Water Act The Plan details the responsibilities of 14 Federal agencies and State and local governments ------- Emergency Response Program When a hazardous sub- stance ignites, it not only presents the immediate dangers of heat and smoke but it can spread hazardous particles and vapors over wide areas. for cleaning up releases of hazardous substances to all media (land, air, surface wa- ter and ground water) and discharges of oil into naviga- ble waters of the U.S. In general the Plan: • Encourages coordina- tion of Federal, State and local government involvement in re- sponse actions; • Allows State and local governments to be reimbursed by the Fed- eral government for allowable response costs; and • Authorizes the Federal government to under- take cleanup when the responsible party or the State cannot or will not do so Primary responsibility for dealing with accidental releases in or near coastal waters and the Great Lakes is with the Coast Guard. The lead responsibility for other emergencies occurring inland or in inland waters belongs to EPA, as specified by an agreement between EPA and the Coast Guard. EPA responses are coordi- nated by its Emergency Re- sponse Division with the assistance of the Hazardous Response Support Division. Both are a part of the Of- fice of Solid Waste and Emergency Response ------- Emergency Response Program Emergency Response Program CERCLA and the National Contingency Plan provide for two types of response to hazardous substance in- cidents: removal actions for shorter-term responses and remedial actions for longer- term cleanup actions. Re- moval actions are carried out by EPA under the emergency Chemical foams are often used to prevent evapora- tion of hazardous sub- stances or to extinguish fires resulting from acci- dents. Response personnel wear protective clothing while handling these chemicals. response program and are in- itiated in situations where a hazardous substance is re- leased or poses a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment Such situations may include: • fires or explosions; • direct human contact with a hazardous sub- stance; • human, animal, or food chain exposure to a hazardous substance; • contamination of a drinking water supply; or • high levels of a con- taminant on the ground surface that could be spread. A removal response generally includes actions to assess the threat or extent of re- lease of hazardous sub- stances, to stabilize the situa- tion and to treat or dispose of removed material, or other actions that may be neces- sary to prevent or minimize danger to the public health, welfare or environment Spe- cifically, removal activities may include: • installing security fen- cing; • collecting and analyzing samples; • providing alternate water supplies; • controlling the release or spread of hazardous substances; • removing hazardous substances from the site and storing, treat- ing, or disposing of them at RCRA- approved facilities, and • providing temporary evacuation of and housing for threatened individuals ------- Emergency Response Program Above: Workers with pro- tective suits and self- contained breathing units extract samples from drums. Samples are sent to a chemical laboratory for analysis. Removal actions may require an immediate response to an emergency, such as a chem- ical spill or explosion; or re- movals may be required for a situation that, while posing a threat, does not demand im- mediate attention, and allows time for more careful plan- ning of removal activities Su- perfund does, however, set time and cost limits for re- moval actions. Exemptions from the time and cost limits may be granted for removal actions under certain circum- stances. ------- Emergency Response Program Hazardous Substance Cleanup: An Industry- Government Partnership In practice, many emergency cleanups and removals are handled by the responsible party—usually the generator, transporter, or disposer of the waste The remainder are cleaned up by an industry-government part- nership. If government resources are called upon, a variety of local, State, and Emergency situations in- volving hazardous sub- stances require specific techniques, equipment and personal safety protection. Above: Firefighters respond to a night emergency. Federal agencies may be called into action Superfund and Section 311 of the Clean Water Act require that EPA, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and nine other Federal agencies cooperate as members of the National and Regional Response Teams to coordinate activi- ties in cases of emergency Additional Federal agencies that may be involved are the Departments of Agricul- ture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Justice, Labor, State, and Housing and Ur- ban Development; and the Small Business Administra- tion. In the event Federal services are called upon: • The Coast Guard or EPA assumes primary responsibility to re- spond, depending upon the location of the emergency; • The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for evacuations; • The Fish and Wildlife Service in the Depart- ment of the Interior and the National Ma- rine Fisheries Service in the Department of Commerce conduct re- search into the effects of the disaster on ma- rine, aquatic and ter- restrial life; • The Public Health Service in the Depart- ment of Health and Human Services inves- tigates incidents of hazardous substance exposure to humans and threats to the public welfare, and • Other agencies play roles related to their re- 7 ------- Emergency Response Program spective authorities if the emergency requires it When To Notify the Government When release of a hazard- ous substance creates an emergency situation, local police and fire departments probably will be the first agencies involved. While they are taking initial pro- tective actions, however, local officials may be calling upon State and Federal agencies for assistance The responsible party—such as a generator, transporter or disposer of hazardous waste—must also notify the National Response Center (NRC) as soon as (s)he has knowledge that a hazardous substance was released in a Reportable Quantity (RQ) into the environment Sec- tion 102 of CERCLA desig- nates almost 700 sub- stances as hazardous and assigns RQs that trigger notification requirements To request Federal assist- ance under Superfund, a State or local government should contact its nearest EPA Regional Office. When the National Re- sponse Center is notified, the duty officer immediately relays the release informa- tion to an EPA or Coast Guard On-Scene Coordina- tor (OSC), depending upon the location and nature of the emergency. The OSC coordinates and monitors all protective and precautionary activities to ensure that everything possible is done to protect public health, welfare, and the en- vironment. The Federal Role The response process be- gins with the OSC's deci- sion to initiate response measures. This decision is based on a preliminary assessment of notification information and on follow- up data gathered from the responsible party or officials at the release site. The OSC must decide whether the Federal government is the appropriate response agency Alternatively, State agencies may take the lead in cleaning up a release site, or the party responsible for the release may have the capability to provide mitigation actions In both cases, however, the Federal OSC will retain the authority for oversight or monitoring of the cleanup operations to ensure that the threat is mitigated. At times, the ex- pertise of other Federal ------- The grappler's specially- designed pickup arm helps remove hazardous waste drums from an active dis- posal site. agencies and other States can be brought to a re- sponse action through the Regional Response Team (RRT) established by the National Contingency Plan The Federal OSC, either in consultation with other agencies or on the spot, must decide what type of response to make whether the release should be con- tained to prevent migration, whether the release should be treated in situ, or whether a federally-funded removal to a treatment, storage or disposal (TSD) facility should be un- dertaken The OSC seeks assistance from the EPA Regional Emergency Reponse Offices and the special Environmen- tal Response Teams based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Edi- son, New Jersey As part of EPA's policy of keeping the public accur- ately informed, the OSC may also seek assistance from the Agency in coor- dinating information for the media and providing liaison with citizens organizations as necessary. According to CERCLA, an official Federal removal ac- tion may be considered in cases where: • The discharger is unknown; • The discharge is caused by an act of God or war; or • The responsible party cannot or will not re- spond adequately Under Superfund, govern- mental emergency response is able to achieve the highest degree of inter- agency and inter-govern- mental teamwork If Federal authorization is provided, State and local govern- ments may conduct the cleanups and reimburse- ment will be made by Superfund The Federal government itself may con- duct the removal if the State or local government requests assistance. In either case, the Federal government retains its im- portant advisory and coordi- nation role. EPA's scientific resources and its specialized ------- Emergency Response Program monitoring, sampling and safety equipment will sup- port State and local efforts Superfund will be the key source of cleanup money. To help keep the fund sol- vent, Superfund also pro- vides that the responsible party may be liable for punitive damages of up to three times the cost of the Federal removal for failure to respond properly to the emergency. Prevention The containments around the storage tanks are designed to prevent any leakage of oil products into adja- cent waters. Oil Pollution Prevention For more than a decade, EPA has been concerned about the discharge of oil into the navigable waters of the United States To prevent such oil discharges by non- transportation-related (NTR) onshore and offshore facili- ties, EPA promulgated the oil pollution prevention regula- tion in December 1973 The regulation establishes re- quirements for the develop- ment and implementation of Spill Control and Counter- measure Plans (SPCC Plans) This regulation is ap- plicable to all owner/opera- tors of NTR onshore and offshore facilities engaged in drilling, producing, gather- ing, storing, processing, refining, transferring, dis- tributing, or consuming oil and oil products and who, because of their location, could reasonably be ex- pected to discharge oil into or upon the navigable waters of the United States. The EPA Regional Offices implement this regulation by routinely visiting facilities and reviewing their SPCC Plan. All transportation-related fa- cilities are regulated by the Department of Transporta- tion in accordance with an agreement with EPA 10 ------- Emergency Response Program Superfund in Action The Emergency Response at Cecil County, Maryland Site workers wearing protective suits placed leaking drums into over- packs. In all, more than 1,300 drums and 5 million pounds of contaminated soil were removed and disposed of at authorized facilities. In the late 1960s, approxi- mately 1,300 drums of haz- ardous wastes were stacked in a clay quarry and covered over in the small Cecil County, Maryland, commu- nity of North East When the new owners of the land be- gan an expansion of a mo- bile home community into the former quarry area, they discovered chemical odors and several surfacing drums After receiving complaints in April 1981, the county and the Maryland Office of En- vironmental Programs tested drinking water wells and sur- face water in the area The property owner also con- ducted geological studies 11 ------- Emergency Response Program The drums were stacked up to 15 layers deep. To speed up the removal action, EPA combined compatible chemicals so they could be either treated at the site or bulk shipped to a disposal facility. The analyses showed safe drinking water, but the sur- face water and soil samples contained organic solvents, including several known and suspected carcinogens The State then requested as- sistance from Superfund From February to April 1982, EPA conducted a site investi- gation, including additional sampling The on-scene in- vestigators discovered drums of hazardous organic wastes located a few hundred feet from a 300-unit trailer park These wastes were contami- nating soil, two small ponds, and a creek running through the trailer park A joint State and EPA emergency re- sponse team evaluated the site in May EPA approved a removal action under Super- fund in June 1982 EPA began an immediate removal action costing $110,000 on Wednesday, June 16, 1982 This in- cluded erecting a fence around the site to secure the area, installing filter fences on the stream, removing four drums of ignitable materials found on the sur- face, overpacking eight leak- ing drums, conducting mag- netometer and ground- penetrating radar surveys to determine where additional drums were buried, and continuing air, water, and soil sampling Based on these studies, EPA estimated that there were approximately 125 drums at the site Because of the potential danger these posed to the neighboring community, EPA decided to undertake a planned removal action In- stead of the expected 125 drums, however, in November, 1982, on-scene personnel discovered that there were 1,300 drums stacked up to 15 layers deep 12 ------- Emergency Response Program At the completion of the removal action, the site was filled, capped with clay, covered with top soil, and seeded. The discovery changed the scope of the planned re- moval action EPA, State and local agencies, and con- tractors increased personnel to complete the action with- in the statutory limit of six months—a deadline of De- cember 16, 1982 EPA changed the removal strat- egy to combine compatible chemicals together and dis- pose of them as bulked li- quids rather than in drums This and other innovative strategies lowered the per drum cost of cleanup, so that the planned removal ac- tion cost $960,000, only about $300,000 more than anticipated when the num- ber of drums was thought to be a tenth of how many were found In all, EPA removed 50,000 gallons of contaminated li- quids, 5 million pounds of contaminated soil, and treated 100,000 gallons of contaminated water Site workers refilled the hole with clean fill material, installed a clay cap to prevent water seepage into the former drum area and the leaching out of any contaminants possibly left in the deeper ground, and covered the surface with topsoil seeded with grass to prevent ero- sion The State pledged to maintain the air and water monitoring stations To date, all environmental samples have been free of the con- tamination that prompted this Superfund removal action 13 ------- Emergency Response Program Research and Develop- ment Controlling and cleaning up hazardous substances is a relatively new field. New equipment and new tech- niques are required to re- spond quickly and effec- tively to emergencies, and to dispose of the materials in a way that is environ- mentally safe. Both industry and EPA are working dili- gently to learn more about controlling such substances and to develop new EPA's "Blue Magoo" can cleanup techniques and be moved quickly to hazardous waste sites to remove hazardous sub- stances from contaminated water. equipment. Much of the development and testing related to the Emergency Response Pro- gram occurs at EPA's Environmental Emergency Response Unit (EERU) in Edison, New Jersey EERU is a cooperative effort among emergency response research personnel at Edi- son, the Environmental Response Team, other EPA operational personnel, and contractors from private industry. As new equipment is developed and tested satisfactorily, it is utilized by EERU in actual emergen- cies, it is also used in train- ing courses and in develop- ment of emergency response assistance man- uals. Additional R&D sup- port is provided at other EPA research installations Chemical Cleanups A number of special clean- up equipment designs are under development at Edi- son. One, designed for cleanup of chemical sub- stances, is a fully- operational Physical- Chemical Treatment Trailer nicknamed the "Blue Ma- goo." A combination of treatment units mounted on a flatbed trailer truck, the Blue Magoo is capable of being transported to an emergency site The treatment technology was adapted from equip- ment currently used for conventional water pollution control treatment. The physical-chemical treatment 14 ------- Emergency Response Program Oil is released into the EPA OHMSETT tank at Edison, New Jersey, to test spill cleanup methods and equipment. concept for hazardous sub- stances has now been adopted by at least two commercial cleanup equip- ment manufacturers. Still in the testing stage is a mobile hazardous waste in- cineration system. This unit will be capable of on-site thermal detoxification of many hazardous materials such as PCBs, kepone, malathion, and TCDD The system is mounted on three over-the-road semi-trailers to facilitate transportation to operating sites. Trial burn- ings of liquid hazardous and toxic substances have been completed successfully. This is to be followed by trial burnings on contaminated solids Oil Cleanups EPA also conducts a wide- ranging oil spills research program under Section 311 of the Clean Water Act Major research and de- velopment efforts for oil spills include: • Construction and oper- ation of a Spill Clean- up Testing Facility at Leonardo, New Jersey. The testing facility, called the Oil and Haz- ardous Materials Simu- lated Environmental Test Tank (OHMSETT), is a large concrete tank with a mobile bridge. It permits environmentally-safe testing of spill cleanup methods and equip- ment. Oil spill contain- ment booms, skimmers and dispersing agents can be tested repeat- edly to insure reliability and efficiency • Evaluation of chemical dispersants developed 15 ------- Emergency Response Program by industry, and tech- niques for applying them from ships and aircraft in rough seas Techniques for cleaning up and protecting shorelines and beaches. The Edison facility, for example, is emergencies involving con- tamination of ground water, surface water and drinking water by spills of hazardous substances and oils. The unit also has provided emergency responses to uncontrolled waste sites EERU activities during these EPA's mobile hazardous waste incineration system is mounted on three semi- trailers to facilitate trans- portation to hazardous sub- stance sites. investigating use of chemical agents which could be applied be- fore an oil slick arrives. These agents form a thin film that prevents the oil from adhering to the beach Emergency Assistance During the past several years, the EERU has responded to a variety of emergencies included: • Evaluation of the severity and extent of contamination, • On-site analytical support; • Recommendation of safe, effective treat- ment and disposal options; and • Supervision of spill cleanup operations. 16 ------- Emergency Response Program Chemical Countermeasures Section 311 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes a mechanism for prevention, response, and notification of oil discharges. Section 311(b)(3) prohibits the dis- charge of oil in quantities that may be harmful. Implementation of the pro- visions of Section 311 has been the responsibility of EPA and the Coast Guard as specified in Executive Orders 11735 and 12418. For non- transportation-related onshore and offshore facili- ties, EPA is empowered to establish procedures, methods, equipment, and other requirements for the control, prevention, and abatement of oil spills. The Coast Guard has similar re- sponsibilities for vessels and transportation-related onshore and offshore facili- ties. Section 311(c) 2(G) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) re- quires that EPA prepare a schedule of dispersants and other chemicals that may be used to remove or control oil discharges into the navigable waters of the United States. This requirement is im- plemented through Subpart H of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Polu- tion Contingency Plan (NCP). The NCP product schedule includes chemical agents, dispersants, surface collect- ing agents, biological addi- tives, and burmg agents Sinking agents are prohibited. While dispersants are one of the most feasible chemical countermeasures treatment for spills on the high seas, other products and methodo- logies now available are rec- ognized under the National Contingency Plan. These counter-measures include surface collecting agents (herders), biological additives, which are microbiological cul- tures, enzymes or nutrient additives which encourage biodegradation of the oil; burning agents, which impr- ove the combustibility of the materials to which they are applied; and new chem- ical products such as gelling agents. Some of these products may be used in inland waters, but with the exception of the dis- persants, none is truly effec- tive for removal of spilled oil in non-quiescent waters EPA firmly believes that the dispersants on the market to- day, if properly applied at rec- ommended rates, should pose no threat to the marine 17 ------- Emergency Response Program In November, 1979, the Burmah Agate spilled 840,000 gallons of oil and burned for 30 days in an accident in the Guff of Mexico off Galveston, TX. environment in most U.S. coastal waters. Thus, the aquatic ecosystem can be preserved and most of the oil prevented from reaching the shoreline. Oil Spill Decision Tree In 1985, EPA developed and tested an Oil Spill Decision Tree, a computerized system which has the potential of revolutionizing the role of'On- Scene-Coordinators (OSCs) who manage oil spill cleanups and of improving contingency planning and training of field personnel The decision tree is a straightforward procedure Observations concerning the nature and size of a spill are entered into the program of a portable computer, along with information on the con- dition of the receiving waters, i.e., water tempera- ture and salinity, wave height, current direction and speed, and other data. The program takes the OSC through a series of steps to arrive at conclusions regard- ing the types of counter- measures which should be employed. The software for the program was developed for the IBM PC in the BASIC program- ming language In addition to being easily adaptable to 18 ------- Emergency Response Program A vessel equipped with spray booms applies dispersants on a small scale oil spill. most microcomputers, mini- computers, and mainframes, it can be set up in a multi- user environment so that members of Regional Re- sponse Teams in different geographic areas can use the program interactively over the phone, saving time that would otherwise be neces- sary to assemble the team members. With veteran OSCs entering accurate and complete data into the sys- tem, decisions which pre- viously took agonizing hours to reach can now be made in a few minutes. The Oil Spill Decision Tree identifies specific questions which must be answered affirmatively before dis- persants can be considered for use. The decision tree also queries about the size of the area covered by the spill, counseling use of helicopters and/or boat spray for dis- persant application on small spills, and use of fixed-wing aircraft on large spills. As long as oil spills continue, countermeasures will be necessary. Countermeasures technology has come a long way, but clearly there is still a long way to go, particularly in terms of increased cooperation between the maritime industry and gov- ernments worldwide Inter-governmental coordina- tion, together with constantly improving technology and a growing environmental awareness by industries which produce, transport and use petroleum products, is being reflected daily in in- creased protection of human health, welfare and the en- vironment. 19 ------- r*« IP Emergency Response Program Manuals With its developmental test- ing functions, EPA publishes an extensive series of man- uals to assist emergency re- sponse personnel in planning and conducting cleanup op- erations. In an effort to achieve a uniform and cohe- sive national response pro- gram, the Agency develops manuals in emergency re- sponse methodology, adapta- tion of latest cleanup tech- niques, uniform communica- tions terminology and ad- ministrative procedures, guid- ance on decision-making, and instructional and reference manuals for students in the ERT training courses. Recently published manuals deal with pesticide disposal, contingency planning (in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency), and control of haz- ardous materials spills. Cur- rently available manuals on emergency response to spills include: • Manual of Practice for Protection and Cleanup of Shorelines • Manual for Control of Hazardous Material Spills • Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations All emergency response manuals are published and made available through the National Technical Informa- tion Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. Further infor- mation may be obtained from NTIS, from EPA's Emergency Response Team or any EPA Regional Office 20 UB GOVERNMENT PRDJTINQ OFFICE 1986 - 621-160 - 1302/00063 ------- EPA Regional Emergency Response Offices Region 1 Chief, Oil and Hazardous Materials Section Environmental Services Division 60 Westview Street Lexington, MA 02173 (617) 861-6700 Region 2 Chief, Emergency Response Branch Emergency and Remedial ResponseDivision Edison, NJ 08837 (201)321-6657 Region 3 Chief, Superfund Branch 341 Chestnut Building (3HW-20) Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215)597-8132 Region 4 Chief, Emergency Remedial and Response Branch 345 Courtland Street, N E Atlanta, GA 30365 (404) 347-3931 Region 5 Chief, Superfund Branch Waste Management Division 5-SEES 230 S. Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60605 (312)353-2102 Region 6 Chief, Emergency Response Branch 6ES-E 1201 Elm Street Interfirst-Two Building Dallas, TX 75270 (214) 767-2720 Region 7 Chief, Emergency Planning and Response Branch Environmental Services Division 25 Funston Road Kansas City, KS 66115 (913)236-3888 Region 8 Chief, Emergency Response Branch Waste Management Division 1 Denver Place 999 18th Street Suite 1300(8-HWM-ER) Denver, CO 80202-2413 (303)293-1723 Region 9 Chief Emergency Response Section T3-3 Field Operations Branch Toxic and Waste Management Division 215 Fremont Street San Francisco, CA 94105 (414)974-7511 Region 10 Chief, Environmental Emergency Response Section Hazardous Waste Division 1200 6th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 (206)442-1263 National Response Center (800) 424-8802 to report oil and hazardous substance releases ,. U.S. Environmental Protection Agencj Region V, Library 230 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 ------- Superfund/RCRA Hotline (800) 424 9346 for information on programs or (202) 382-3000 National Response Center (800) 424-8802 to report oil and hazardous substance releases ------- |