Officials clean out 10,000 tons of soil from SD oil spill area
Source: AgWeek
On April 2, TransCanada reported an oil leak to the National Response Center, indicating that a suspected 4.5 barrels—or 167 gallons—of oil had leaked. On April 7, the report was updated to estimate a leak of about 400 barrels—or 16,800 gallons.
TransCanada owns and operates the Keystone Pipeline, which originates in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to Patoka, Illinois, and separately to Port Arthur, Texas. It is a 30-inch pipeline that was constructed between June 2008 and March 2010.
Walsh expects cleanup efforts to be finished in the next couple weeks, but the project is weather-dependent, and TransCanada will ultimately have to continue cleanup efforts until it meets safety standards.
As the soil is removed, it is tested for contamination until the excavated soil reaches levels that meet state standards. Walsh said excavation will continue until all contaminated material is gone. Petroleum contaminated soils are tested for five different chemicals.
The soil is being relocated to a landfill near Glencoe, Minnesota, operated by Waste Management, a common practice for petroleum-contaminated soil, Walsh said.
Read more: http://www.agweek.com/news/south-dakota/4048376-officials-clean-out-10000-tons-soil-sd-oil-spill-area
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