Pro-Enviro responded to a dispatch for an emergency diesel fuel oil spill on NB Interstate 5 South of Seattle at S. 272nd Street. The trailer had hit some road debris which punctured the fuel tank, causing the fuel spill. We arrived quickly at the scene, along with Team Pro-Tow, the Washington State Department of Transport, Incident Response and Washington State Police.
We arrived with the necessary team and equipment to handle patching the leak and containing the spill, as well as cleanup and restoration. There were also hazardous materials trained operators on-site to help handle this fuel spill cleanup.
Stopping the Leak Before it Spreads
During the semi-truck accident, the tank of the trailer had been ruptured at its lowest point. This resulted in the tank primarily being emptied, spilling approximately 30 to 40 galls of diesel fuel across the offramp. Our team talked with the command post to create a containment, cleanup and restoration plan.
Firstly, we did an emergency patch on the ruptured fuel tank to stop the leak. Our recovery team then deployed absorbents and bio-enzymatic aqueous hydrocarbon treatments on the spill. We also began actively cleaning and treating the exit ramp, which required multiple and repeated treatments. During this cleanup, we worked with the WSDOT to partially close off the ramp so that our team could safely clean each side.
Cleanup of Contaminated Area and Soils
When a fuel spill cleanup is involved, it’s important that any contaminated soils are cleared away. Contaminated soils pose a very serious health risk both to people and the environment, so our team always ensures all contamination is contained and removed. To do this, our team tested the soil samples in the contaminated area and another in an unaffected area. We were then able to identify what areas were contaminated and which were not. We then used our compact track loader attached with specialized industrial grapples to efficiently clean the soils.
We continued our clean up while waiting for a gravel delivery which would be spread to complete our cleanup. We also confirmed that the driver would be able to continue his trip without any further risk of fuel spilling. Thanks to the quick work of our team and all recovery personal, we were able to quickly and safely complete handle another semi-truck accident and fuel spill cleanup!
