- Date: 5:45 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2020
2020 Valdez Marine Terminal Admin Sump Incident
2020 VMT Admin Sump Incident Fact Sheet 20
- Crews continue excavation and investigation of the flow path and primary entry point where oily water is making its way into Port Valdez in the vicinity of the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) small boat harbor. Crews are working three excavation sites. Plans call for additional strategic digs to understand the flow path.
- The outflow of the spill to the harbor is a buried perforated pipe from early VMT construction. It ends at the shoreline within the primary containment boom. The outflow is currently discharging high volumes of snow melt and rain water with a minor sheen. A system is being implemented to remove the sheen before the water enters the harbor.
- Excavation continues around the sump (SU-3) that was the source of the spill to look for the oily water’s underground entry point. Care is being taken to dig around underground piping and utilities. Personnel are using air knives, which use compressed air to dig.
- Excavation started at a new site south of the Oil Spill Response Building and SU-6, located downhill between SU-3 and the harbor.
- Response crews using skimmers and current buster boom continued operations through the day.
- An afternoon overflight of the work area and Port Valdez observed that all sheen was within containment.
- More than 240 people are involved in the response, locally and around the state.
- All are working in accordance with state, local and Alyeska company policies and mandates in order to protect the health of the workforce and the surrounding communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- For the safety of response personnel and the public, a Temporary Flight Restriction area remains in place, set at 5,000 feet elevation and one mile in radius over the VMT working area.
For information and updates on the response, check back to this ADEC site.
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