Fuel spill possibility sets Eglin in motion

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Meares
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A bright yellow boom zigzagged across the Weekly Bayou Dec. 12 to contain a spill of approximately 1.2 million gallons of jet fuel in the salty waters leading to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Air Force and Coast Guard deployed more than 6,500 feet of boom during a week-long training exercise familiarizing them with the processes and equipment needed to clean up fuel spilled into the waters bordering Eglin's southern edge. A boom is a floatation device used to contain spilled contents from spreading.

Had it been an actual spill, Eglin Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and a laundry list of federal responders would have worked feverishly to contain the situation. Instead, this was only a practice drill.

"We are getting familiarized with all the equipment we would use in the event of a spill," said Tim Langley, 96th Civil Engineer Group Fuel Storage Tanks program manager.

The fuel station at Eglin, tied to the Gulf Coast Barge Network, is a bulk fuel storage facility that receives a barge of more than one million gallons of jet fuel every eight to 10 days. The fuel station services Naval Air Station Pensacola, Hurlburt Field, Eglin and Tyndall AFB.

"If we did not have this capability, everyone along the shore line, the animals and the protected species would be in jeopardy," said Bruce Stippich, 96th Civil Engineer Group. "The effects would be detrimental for years to come."

The first line of defense is stretching a boom across the bayou behind the barge during transfer.

"Anytime we receive a barge, it is standard operating procedure to deploy the boom. If we have a spill of any kind then it's already contained," said Tech. Sgt. Jessie Terry, 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "It would cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up a spill already contained in the bayou. If we didn't contain it, it would be an ecological disaster costing in the multi-millions of dollars."

The second line of defense is at the mouth of the Weekly Bayou. The cooperative effort took a strategic approach on how to close off the bayou during a spill. Depending on the water current and wind direction, fuel would not have to go far to enter Choctawhatchee Bay. A boom house is strategically positioned to close off the entire bayou as quickly as possible.

"With good equipment and well-trained people, you should never have a problem," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Edwin Stanton, sector commander out of Mobile, Ala. "I appreciate that Eglin puts out the booms every time they get a barge in here.

"If you have an accident, it's already too late to get the boom out," he said. "It's excellent risk management."

The plan for spill recovery extends five miles toward the Destin Pass. Captain Stanton, the federal on-scene coordinator during a spill response said, "protection of the wetlands, wildlife, people and private property" is the greatest concern.

"Our main concerns are public safety and health as well as wildlife and plant life along the shores," Mr. Stippich said. "Eglin and the Emerald Coast region is home to many endangered species of wildlife and plant life."

Airmen and Coast Guardsmen learned to use a Pollution Unit Pump, or PUP, a device used to push product spilled into a holding area to be collected. The training also employed the use of a 150-foot catenary tow, a boom pulled at the ends by boats to collect remnants of fuel floating on the surface of the water.

This training is an Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard annual requirement necessary for hazardous material technicians. The training is designed to react to spills such as the Exxon Valdez, which spilled 10.8 million gallons of unrefined crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, March 24, 1989; or the 58,000 gallon spill in the San Francisco Bay when a ship struck a bridge support gashing its side Nov. 7, 2007.

"Accidents are only one mistake away from being disastrous," Mr. Stippich said. "We want to make sure our people are trained and prepared to respond should a situation ever arise that requires immediate action."