Maintenance (Chapter 19)

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Chapter 19 - Maintenance
How to Plan for Oil Pipe Line Spills
• • • • • • • • •

Regulatory requirements Contingency plan objectives Related studies Planning concepts Contingency response Immediate response Immediate response actions Flexible response actions Training

How to Plan for Oil Pipe Line Spills
Here are ideas to consider in development of a comprehensive contingency plan J. D. Sartor, Vice President, and R. . Castle, !enior Project "ngineer, Consultants, "nvironmental !ystems %ivision, !an Francisco, Cali&ornia ood#ard$Clyde

Federal regulations and permit stipulations require t'e preparation o& #ritten plans and procedures &or dealing #it' accidental spills o& materials carried by liquids pipe lines. T'ese requirements can be met t'roug' t'e preparation o& compre'ensive spill contingency plans. Proper contingency planning involves analysis o& t'e material(s) carried and t'e environments crossed by t'e pipe line. *ased on company personnel and operating procedures, a response organi+ation and necessary equipment are developed. T'e planning concept assumes t'at pre$ planned emergency actions are appropriate &or protection o& 'uman li&e, property, and t'e environment. In addition 'o#ever, t'e planning must provide t'e &lexibility to respond to unanticipated situations. T'e &inal planning element is t'e design o& a compre'ensive training program to ensure t'e sa&ety and e&&iciency o& t'e response teams.

Regulatory Requirements
,istorically, &ederal requirements pertaining to liquids pipe line construction and operation 'ave contained no speci&ic requirements or guidelines &or t'e preparation o& spill contingency plans. In spite o& t'is, suc' plans 'ave been required in conjunction #it' various permits and rig't$o&$#ay grants. Cases #'ere contingency plans 'ave been stipulated include t'e Trans -las.a, !/,I/ est Cost to 0idcontinent, 1ort'ern Tier, and t'e 1ort'#est -las.a 2as pipe lines. T'e 1ational "nvironment Policy -ct (1"P-) o& 3anuary 4, 4567, and ensuing amendments 'ave led to &ederal and state requirements &or analysis o& t'e potential &or spills, t'eir probable impact, and t'e degree to #'ic' spill impacts may be mitigated t'roug' t'e "nvironmental Impact !tatement $ "nvironmental Impact Report process. !pill contingency is o&ten t'e major met'od o& spill impact mitigation, and its association #it' t'e environmental revie# process is becoming increasingly common. "&&ective 3uly 48, 4597, t'e %epartment o& Transportation (%/T) amended regulations &or t'e transportation o& liquids by pipe line. Title :5 o& t'e code o& Federal Regulations, Part 458 (revised /ctober 4, 4565) describes t'ese regulations and amendments. !ubpart $ /peration and 0aintenance $ requires t'e preparation o& #ritten emergency plans and procedures &or dealing #it' accidental release o& commodity, operational &ailures, and natural disasters a&&ecting &acilities. T'e same regulations also require assignment o& personnel to emergency &unctions and t'e design and

implementation o& emergency procedures programs. T'ese requirements summari+e t'e essential elements o& a spill contingency plan.

Contingency Plan Objectives
- rapid response capability is essential to adequately control and remove spilled material. To provide t'is capability, adequate advance planning is mandatory. !uc' pre$spill planning s'ould recogni+e t'e various types o& spill situations #'ic' could occur and incorporate a response strategy &or eac'. T'ese strategies s'ould outline met'ods to be used, and describe t'e required types and amounts o& equipment, materials, and manpo#er. In addition to pre$spill planning &or anticipated spill types and situations, a compre'ensive plan must allo# t'e &lexibility to respond e&&ectively to unanticipated spill situations.

Related Studies
T'e development o& a spill contingency plan is based on consideration and analysis o& a #ide variety o& &actors. Included are geograp'ical elements (location o& t'e spill, drainage c'aracteristics, sur&ace conditions, soil type, accessibility, tra&&icability), environmental elements (#eat'er conditions, 'ydrology, etc.), and ecological elements (sensitive and vulnerable areas, rare and endangered species, etc.); For special environments additional studies may be required. For example, a series o& special studies on reclamation o& spill a&&ected areas #as required &or tundra during t'e implementation o& t'e -lyes.a pipe line. T'ese studies included evaluation o& plant types t'at could be used &or re'abilitation, e&&ects o& spilled oil on native plants, e&&ects o& various types o& cleanup measures, and residual e&&ects o& oil over di&&erent #eat'ering periods. "ngineering elements necessary &or contingency planning include pipe line pumping and drainage c'aracteristics, valve placements, monitoring equipment, operating procedures, and communications and control systems. Typically muc' o& t'is in&ormation is available t'roug' project$related design engineering and environmental studies at an early p'ase in project implementation. In some cases, 'o#ever, all o& t'e required in&ormation may not be available and may require generation prior to t'e completion o& t'e &inal spill plan. "arly versions o& spill contingency plans are considered <dra&t< plans and are submitted to satis&y t'e requirements o& regulatory agencies. T'e <dra&t< plans are submitted #it' t'e stipulation t'at &inal spill plans are prepared and implemented prior to t'e pipe line becoming operational.

Planning Concepts

Pipe lines c'aracteristically extend considerable distances and encounter a variety o& environmental conditions. T'e resulting spill planning must respond to t'ese &actors and is commonly eit'er overly simpli&ied or so complex t'at it is unusable in practice. To counter eit'er tendency and yet provide su&&icient in&ormation in a usable &ormat, it is advantageous to design t'e contingency plan as a series o& volumes, eac' speci&ic to a particular need. =sing t'is approac', t'e master volume or 2eneral Provisions, contains organi+ational and operational in&ormation common to t'e entire pipe line system. It also &orms a basis &or personnel training. T'e second volume or volumes delineate speci&ic response actions and personnel &or speci&ic sections o& t'e pipe line. Commonly t'e areas covered by t'eses volumes are de&ined by major drainage patterns. I& necessary as a result o& drainage basin si+e or ot'er unusual &actors, eac' o& t'ese sections may be divided into &urt'er subdivision until #or.able si+e &ield response plans are ac'ieved. Typical contents o& successive volumes o& a pipe line contingency plan are s'o#n in Figure 4. In&ormation pertinent to t'e entire system is contained only in t'e general provisions.

Figure 1. Contingency plan content.

-n e&&ective contingency plan indicates t'e actions to be ta.en, t'eir sequence, and timing in relation to ot'er events. %uring or immediately &ollo#ing a spill, t'e &ollo#ing representative actions s'ould be ta.en> a. Veri&y and locate t'e spill and noti&y t'e spill response team to initiate emergency procedures. b. Control or limit t'e amount o& material spilled. "xclude or prevent t'e spread o& material to sensitive areas. "valuate t'reats to t'e general public and act accordingly. c. %etermine t'e extent o& t'e spill and predict its subsequent dispersion as a &unction o& time. d. Plan and direct overall operations? provide administrative support, liaison #it' government@local o&&icials, and public in&ormation. e. Remove and clean material &rom contaminated land areas, subsoils, s'orelines, and #ater sur&aces. &. %etermine procedures and site locations &or t'e disposal o& contaminated materials. g. %ocument all p'ases o& spill incident and subsequent cleanup activities. !election o& t'e action to ta.e at di&&erent times during a spill depends on> (a) t'e location and nature o& t'e spill? (b) t'e quantity and type o& material? (c) 'ydrology, topograp'y, and soil type? (d) ice, #eat'er, and currents. !upervision #ill start immediately and documentation must be conducted simultaneously #it' all ot'er operations. !pills require prompt action #'et'er t'ey are on land or on #ater. %etailed response plans must be prepared &or immediate action to be ta.en #'erever and #'enever spills occur. In general, t'e contingency plan describes t'e logical and sequential order o& #'at$to$do actions. !ome actions are ta.en in all situations. /t'er actions are contingent on and initiated only by special circumstances. T'e basic plan is supported by appendices #'ic' provide 'o#$to$do$it instructions &or basic actions. T'ese appendices also provide in&ormation on regulations, sources o& equipment, logistics, and general bac.ground.

Contingency Response
T'e nature o& eac' individual organi+ation is dependent on t'e nature o& t'e pipe line system and t'e area t'roug' #'ic' it crosses. In some remote areas suc' as -las.a, any e&&ective response organi+ation must rely 'eavily on internal resources. In more populated areas, a spill response organi+ation can be designed more around t'e use o& local resources. -ny response organi+ation must, 'o#ever, incorporate certain &unctions. Typically t'ese &unctions may be grouped as management, advisory, support, and local &ield response. T'e management, advisory, and support roles generally per&orm sta&& &unctions and are usually sta&&ed by company personnel. T'e local &ield response &unctions are normally sta&&ed by local operating personnel stationed along t'e pipe line route. -s necessary, t'ese personnel may be supplemented by local contractors. T'e assemblage o& t'e above roles is .no#n as t'e !pill Tas. Force (Figure A).

Figure . !pill Tas. Force organi+ation

it'in t'e !pill Tas. Force, eac' district uses a t#o$level organi+ation to provide &ast and e&&ective initial and &ollo#$up response. - typical district organi+ation is s'o#n in Figure 4. T'e &irst level o& response, t'e Immediate Response Team (IRT), reacts immediately to any spill #it'in its area o& concern. T'is team ta.e pre$planned response actions, limiting t'e spills impacts until &urt'er actions can be activated.

Figure 1. %istrict Response Team organi+ation T'e IRT is trained and equipped to 'andle minor spills #it'out additional assistance. !'ould t'is team be unable to completely control a spill, it #ill ta.e pre$planned control actions and noti&y t'e spill control coordinator. T'e spill coordinator #ill t'en activate company and contractor resources as necessary. T'e second level, t'e remainder o& t'e %istrict Response Team, is t'en activated as necessary to complete t'e control and recovery o& t'e spill. For su&&iciently large spills, t'e overall !pill Tas. Force may require activation. !pills #ill normally be detected by or reported directly to t'e pipe line dispatc'er, #'o #ill ensure proper communications #it'in t'e !pill Tas. Force and #'o #ill s'ut do#n pumping operations i& necessary. T'e dispatc'er #ill ensure t'at t'e district superintendent responsible &or t'e area in question is noti&ied and t'at t'e appropriate Immediate Response Team 'as been activated. T'e dispatc'er #ill t'en noti&y t'e spill coordinator #'o #ill activate additional resources as necessary a&ter consulting #it' t'e local area superintendent. Figure A illustrates 'o# t'e contingency response organi+ation &unctions.

Figure . Immediate response action &lo# c'art.

Immediate Response
T'e composition o& any individual Immediate Response Team #ill vary #it' t'e si+e and nature o& t'e pipe line system. In many cases several company personnel #ill be available along a speci&ic pipe line segment. it' proper training and equipment 'o#ever, even t#o or t'ree man teams can be constructive in implementing immediate actions. T'e duties o& t'e Immediate Response Team may need to be ta.en simultaneously. T'ese duties include>
• • • • •

Veri&ication and location o& t'e lea. Bea. control Conducting prescribed initial actions to ensure t'e sa&ety o& t'e general public, contain t'e spill, and protect sensitive areas -ssess t'e situation and provide initial inputs to t'e district supervisor and t'e spill coordinator -ssume assigned positions in t'e spill tas. &orce #'en activated

Immediate Response Team positions can be manned A: 'ours per day or on a A:$'our standby basis depending on t'e nature o& t'e &acility and available along$route personnel. Typically, t'e dispatc'er position #ill be manned on a A:$'our basis. Individuals &illing response positions are listed in t'e contingency plan by name and met'od o& noti&ication.

Immediate Response ctions

'en a spill is detected by monitoring equipment or reported t'roug' some ot'er mec'anism, t'e dispatc'er immediately noti&ies t'e IRT. - typical alert and noti&ication procedure is s'o#n in Figure C. T'e primary &unctions o& t'e IRT are to provide &or public sa&ety, contain t'e spill, and exclude t'e spill &rom sensitive or vulnerable areas. For small spills, t'e IRT may be capable o& complete control and cleanup. For larger spills, t'ey provide stop$gap measures until greater resources can be mobili+ed.

Figure !. -lert and noti&ication procedure. T'e type o& response is dependent on t'e speci&ic spill area and t'e nature o& t'e material. T'e intention o& all actions is to locate t'e lea. and begin emergency actions immediately. To &acilitate suc' actions, t'e contingency plan must provide predesignated control sites and actions, equipment recommendations, and su&&icient in&ormation on t'e p'ysical and ecologic c'aracteristics o& t'e t'reatened area to allo# &lexible and de&endable response actions. Figure : depicts a presentation o& pre$planned response actions and support in&ormation &or a typical pipe line segment.

Figure ". Typical pipe line segment in&ormation and response actions %irections o& probable spill movement, access points, and potential control sites are indicated on t'e pipe line segment map. !upporting in&ormation is tabulari+ed and includes predicted maximum spill si+es at selected points, location o& equipment storage, recommendations &or primary control actions under varying conditions (letter codes re&er to a contingency plan appendix #'ic' details respective tec'nique implementation), special &eatures o& concern during spill control, and general 'ydrologic c'aracteritics. "cologic c'aracteristics o& t'e area are provided in an additional supporting appendix.

!le"ible Response ctions

'ile it is a basic premise in spill planning t'at preplanned response actions are appropriate, it is also accepted t'at no t#o spills are ever identical. -s a result, spill contingency planing must provide t'e &lexibility to respond to unpredicted situations. T'is can be accomplis'ed t'roug' t'e design o& decision guides #'ic' equate t'e types and ranges o& environmental parameters to appropriate control and recovery tec'niques. representative decision guide &or t'e protection o& inland #aters is s'o#n in Figure 8. - preplanned decision ma.ing process can be particularly use&ul in designing cleanup and disposal programs.

Figure #. %ecision guide &or t'e protection o& inland #aters.

#raining

Training o& all spill response personnel, including simulated spill and equipment drills is critical. -ccordingly, a compre'ensive training program is an integral part o& t'e contingency plan. T'e objectives o& t'e training program are to>
• • • • •

0aintain t'e plan as a &ully operable and #or.ing document In&orm Tas. Force members o& t'eir respective duties and standard communication procedures -llo# Tas. Force members to become &amiliar #it' t'e use o& all equipment and to update t'e plan to re&lect t'e current state$o&$t'e$art, including ne# equipment and procedures 0odi&y t'e plan in t'e lig't o& in&ormation gained &rom t'e &ield exercise Incorporate experience gained &rom response to spills into t'e plan

T'e training program is structured according to t'e level o& responsibility o& t'e participants and may include>
• • •

Classroom instruction o& &ield demonstrations /il spill response drills to test noti&ication, alert, and mobili+ation procedures %rills to practice speci&ic containment measures and general containment and cleanup equipment and tec'niques

Conclusion -ccidental pipe line spills 'ave and #ill continue to occur. Recogni+ing t'is &act, regulatory agencies 'ave required emergency spill planning to minimi+e resulting impacts. Compre'ensive spill contingency planning satis&ies t'ese requirements and provides quic. and e&&ective response to environmental emergencies. Included in t'e preparation o& suc' plans are t'e development o& a response organi+ation and response actions &or eac' individual system. -lso important in t'e development o& a plan is t'e inclusion o& a training and pro&iciency program. (*ased on a paper, Contingency Planning &or Biquid Pipe Bine !pills, presented by t'e aut'ors as a contribution o& t'e -merican !ociety o& 0ec'anical "ngineers at t'e "nergy$Resources Con&erence and "x'ibition, 3anuary 49$AA, 4594, ,ouston, Texas.) Source Pipe Line Industry, 0arc' 459A.

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