Case Study - Kerosene spill at domestic property
Damaged copper oil pipe
Background
More than 2,000 litres of domestic heating oil (kerosene) was spilled into the ground at a domestic property following damage to a buried copper oil line.
The spillage was caused by a fault with a recently installed electricity supply causing electricity to pass through the copper pipe.
The spilled kerosene resulted in the contamination of soils over a large area and impacts to a pond and a drainage ditch within a nearby allotment.
Investigation, Mitigation and Remediation
To prevent further migration of kerosene containment and absorbent booms were deployed within the pond and drainage ditch. Neat kerosene was recovered from the pond using floating skimmers and pumps.
Investigation works identified soils had been contaminated over an area of 140 square metres and shallow groundwater was also contaminated.
A series of sumps were installed and a groundwater treatment system was commissioned to manage the contaminated groundwater.
The treatment system processed a total of 480,000 litres of contaminated water and recover over 400 litres of neat kerosene.
A total of 175 tonnes of kerosene contaminated soil was excavated and removed from site.
Verification & Reinstatement
The excavation extents were verified by our consultants to ensure sufficient material had been removed to reduce the identified risks, with soil samples submitted to an independent UKAS accredited laboratory.
The source excavation was reinstated with clean materials and the flower and vegetable beds were reinstated to match the original condition.