Sand Point Abandoned Drum Site

Location: Sand Point, Alaska in an old rock quarry between the airport and town.
Time/Date: The exact time and date of the releases is unknown. The situation was reported to ADEC February 15, 2007 at 12:00 P.M. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Spill Id: 07259904601
Product/ Quantity: During a site visit in July 2007, ADEC staff marked the drums with an identification number. A total of 605 drums were at the site and 121 drums (a potential of 6,655 gallons) had ruptured and released their contents into the environment. Also during the site visit, ADEC personnel performed field screening of 18 drums in storage cell #2 with Chlor-D-Tect kits; photo-ionization detector and coliwasa drum samplers. The field screening indicated the contents of those drums to be diesel fuel, used oil, and water. Some drums were actively leaking and pooled oil was evident in two of the drum storage cells with liners. There was significant surface staining in each of the four storage cells. Two of the storage cells were lined but the liner was only marginally effective. There is evidence that oil leached into the ground when it overflowed the secondary containment. In two storage cells the drums were placed directly on the ground without a liner.
Cause: Drums have been accumulating at the site for up to 12 years. Some drums have leaked as a result of the drums’ decaying integrity and other drums have ruptured when the contents froze.