Shield Engineering

Fuel Spill in a Canal

A tanker truck hauling No. 2 fuel oil overturned, spilling 5,000 gallons of fuel into a canal. Shield negotiated rates for disposal of water and solids, as well as equipment rates to reduce overall costs of the project. A bigger subjective cost savings was realized through negotiations with the state regulator. Initially, the requirement was that the soils should be sampled and possibly removed along the 600 feet of affected shoreline. Shield initiated a meeting with the regulator after all the fuel was removed from the canal. The outcome was that no sampling or excavation was needed and a closure letter from the state was issued within 120 days of the incident.