News Releases from Region 09

EPA News Advisory: ASIG Sand Island Hawaii Fuel Spill Response Update 2/6/15

(02/06/15) HONOLULU - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) continue response operations to recover spilled jet fuel at the Airport Service Group International (ASIG) facility on Sand Island Access Road in Honolulu. EPA is leading the response effort and working with DOH's Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response branch and ASIG.

NEW- Please visit EPA's ASIG Sand Island Fuel Spill Response site for news releases and photos: http://www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/sand-island/

Amount of fuel recovered:
Response activities have resulted in the recovery of over 18,640 gallons of spilled jet fuel, with fuel recovery continuing. The fuel recovery number has been revised from the previous reported figure to account for the de-watering of the fuel that is necessary during the fuel recovery process.

Current response activities:
-Jet fuel recovery has begun outside of the facility with extraction wells recovering jet fuel that migrated off-site.

-A work plan has been submitted on time by ASIG as per the Jan. 30 EPA order.

-Design and planning has been completed for an interceptor trench to insure that the jet fuel plume does not reach the near shore waters or Keehi Lagoon. This be installed the full length of the area of concern between the onsite extraction trenches and the waterfront.

-There continues to be no indication the spilled fuel has moved any closer to the near shore waters or Keehi Lagoon

The ongoing recovery effort includes fuel being pumped from three extraction trenches and a few small open pits inside the facility, and two well locations outside the facility, directly into vacuum trucks. The vacuum truck loads are taken offsite for processing at the Honolulu Airport fuel storage farm.

Status of fuel migration off-site:
Fuel has been detected off site of the facility through subsurface contamination about 150 feet from the water. Spill containment booms have been deployed in the waters near the facility as a precaution. The booms on the water are monitored daily for any signs of fuel, and there is no indication that the spill has migrated into the near shore waters or entered Keehi Lagoon.

DOH has reported that the fuel spill has not affected harbor activities and there are no closures. Boaters, fishermen, pier construction workers, office workers, wildlife and marine life are safe from the fuel spill as the fuel is underground. There are no drinking water wells in the area.

Fuel recovery work will continue inside the facility. Fuel recovery work outside of the facility has started removing fuel that has migrated off site.

EPA Order - January 30
EPA issued an Clean Water Act compliance order on January 30 that requires ASIG, the facility operator, and Hawaii Fueling Facilities Corp., the facility owner, to submit to EPA by Feb. 5 a work plan for daily response activities, clean up all petroleum or contaminated materials released to the environment as a result of the spill, prevent further releases and impacts to the environment resulting from releases of oil/fuel to waters and adjoining shorelines, repair all damaged equipment at the facility to prevent future spills of petroleum, and submit a plan by Mar. 2 for confirmatory sampling to ensure that the cleanup activities are complete.

Spill Background
The ASIG reported to DOH that the 42,000 gallon spill was the result of a leak in the bottom of ASIG's Tank #2. The above ground storage tank has a 2.8 million gallon capacity. The ASIG facility has 16 above ground tanks with a total facility capacity of 44.8 million gallons of fuel and supplies fuel to the Honolulu International Airport.
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