Federal Region 5 Regional Response Team
Oil Spill Solidifier Preapproval- Contained within socks, booms, pillows
Under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (40 CFR Part 300) the Regional Response Team (RRT) may authorize the use of oil spill control agents that are on the National Product Schedule. Pursuant to various presentations on the products, and the additional written materials that the Science and Technology Sub-Committee of the RRT has reviewed, the Region V RRT will allow the use of the following products under limited approval and specific conditions explained below:
- ALSOCUP
- Aqua N-CAP Polymer
- CIAgent
- WASTE-SET #3200
- WASTE-SET #3400
The Region 5 RRT has approved the use, in Region 5, of socks, booms, pads, pillows or other device which completely surrounds and contains one of the solidifier products listed above subject to the following conditions:
- a. Application of the solidifier product must be done in a manner that does not allow the solidifier product to be released from the sock, boom, pad, or pillow; and
- b. The sock, boom, pad, or pillow is not left in the environment for more than one week after contact with oil; and
- c. The sock, boom, or pillow must be recovered from the water within one week of contact with oil or depletion of solidifying capacity and properly disposed of.
- d. This preapproval does not include preapproved use in tribal or Department of Interior managed lands.
Conditions of approval for solidifier products:
NCP Subpart J - Main Page
NCP Product Schedule
NCP Technical Notebook
Compile Data
Spill Data — Responsibility: OSC
- Circumstances
- Time/date of incident
- Location
- Type of oil product
- Volume of oil release
- Total potential of release
- Type of release (instantaneous, continuous, etc.)
Characteristics of Spilled Oil(s) — Responsibility: OSC
- Specific gravity
- Viscosity
Weather and Water Conditions / Forecasts — Responsibility: SSC
- Air temperature
- Water conditions
- Water temperature
- Water depth
Oil Trajectory Information — Responsibility: SSC
- 48-hour surface oil trajectory forecast
- Surface area of slick
- Expected conditions of landfall
- 48-hour dispersed or chemically treated oil trajectory forecast
- Oil movement in water column
- Surface oil movement and expected landfall
- Concentration of the dispersant/oil mixture in the water columnWater depth
Chemical Characteristics and Application Equipment — Responsibility: OSC
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| Characteristics |
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| - Toxicity |
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| - Flash point |
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| Amount Available |
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| Type of Containers |
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Benefits
(reduce vapor; increase viscosity; etc.) |
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Company 1 |
Company 2 |
Company 3 |
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Comparison of Effectiveness of Conventional
Methods vs. Use of Chemicals — Responsibility: US EPA, USCG, OSC, SSC, State(s)
- Containment at the source
- Burning
- Shoreline protection strategies
- Shoreline cleanup strategies
- Time necessary to execute response
Habitats and Resources at Risk — Responsibility: OSC, SSC
- Shoreline habitat type and area of impact
- Resources
- Endangered/threatened species
- Critical habitat for the above species
- Waterfowl use
- Shellfish
- Finfish
- Commercial use
- Public use areas
- Other resources of significance
Other Users of the Water: Nearby and Downstream — Responsibility: SSC
- Water supply, potable
- Water supply, industrial
Recommendations — Responsibility: US EPA, USCG, OSC, SSC, State(s)
Possible Options
- Do not use chemicals
- Use chemicals on a trial basis
- Disperse or chemically treat to maximum extent possible with accepted methods on available equipment
Other Recommendations/Rationale
TBD
Evaluation of Decisions — Responsibility: US EPA, USCG, OSC, SSC, State(s)
Will the application remove a significant amount of the slick from the surface of the water?
TBD
Can the extent or location of the shoreline impacts be altered in a positive manner?
TBD
Can the damage to endangered/threatened species, mammals, and waterfowl be lessened?
TBD
Will the damage to habitats and resources resulting from the chemical use be less than those resulting without the use?
TBD
If recreational, economic, and aesthetic considerations are a higher priority than natural resource considerations, what is the most effective means of their protection?
TBD
Monitoring of Chemical Use — Responsibility: OSC, State(s)
Records
- Chemical brand
- Equipment and methods used in application
- Dilution of chemical prior to application, if any
- Rate of application
- Times and area of application
- Wind and wave conditions during application
Effectiveness - visual and photographic documentation
- Oil before and after chemical application
- Resurfacing of dispersed or chemically treated oil
- Sampling of the water beneath the oil slick and the oil/chemical combination to determine the level of the petroleum hydorcarbons in the water
Environmental Impacts – visual and photographic surveys
- The extent of shoreline impact by chemically treated and untreated oil
- Mortality or abnormal behavior of fish, birds, or mammals
- Comparison of shoreline areas impacted by oil and oil/chemical mixtures
- Analysis of oil concentrations in sediments under chemically treated oil
- Investigation of water column organisms for signs of adverse impact due to chemically treated oil
- Collection and analysis of birds affected by chemicals or oil/chemical mixture
Public Health
- Sampling water supplies for petroleum and chemical constituents