Bioremediation

 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Bioremediation
   Deadhorse, Alaska

During Prudhoe Bay development through 1990, Block 70, Lot 6 of Deadhorse was home to a work camp. Two large above-ground storage tanks supplied fuel for heating the hotel; the hotel was designed with a bull-rail for fueling vehicles while parked along its front. The underlying gravel pad was contaminated with diesel fuel from both operations. An agreement was arranged between the Alaska Department of Transportation and ADEC lease lots In summer 1999, a tanker rollover incident spilled 1,763 gallons of an emulsified acid mixture over approximately 0.9 acre of frozen tundra in the Western Operating Unit of the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield. Frozen ground conditions were favorable to lateral spread of contamination and limited vertical penetration early on. Exothermic reaction melted ice and snow, causing a contaminated slush to form over much of the impact zone before refreezing. Snow cover at the site limited visibility and neutralization during response and recovery. Existing cleanup tactics, primarily developed primarily through response to petroleum spills, were insufficient for this toxic spill. The ADEC contracted Dennis Filler, then with Shannon & Wilson, to perform response oversight and spill evaluation for this unique incident. Pilot tests were devised and implemented to affect recovery in a coordinated effort with Alaska Clean Seas. (2001)