1500 litre Spill at Primary School - ATG Group | Environmental and Waste Solution Services. Innovative and Sustainable Solutions for Land Remediation, Contaminated Water Remediation and Invasive Plant Eradication.

Spill Response

Project Facts

Client: Primary School of Education Authority
Location: Aghadowey, Northern Ireland

The Challenge

With the cold winter temperatures, a pipe underneath the school playground had suffered a fracture, leading to a rupture in the kerosene tank, which had been recently filled. This incident resulted in the release of around 1,500 litres of kerosene into the ground, causing oil to gradually seep up through the tarmac surface.

The biggest challenge we faced on this project was finding the source of the oil leak. The age of the site and the remnants of demolished building foundations made it difficult to pinpoint the exact source. These old foundations caused irregular oil flow and the accumulation of oil in hidden areas below the surface. Our top priority was containing the spill, followed by excavations to identify the source of the leak.

The Solution

Upon arrival at the site, we immediately initiated emergency containment works to prevent the contamination from spreading to the surrounding fields and the nearby playschool. We placed absorbent cushions into the drains and used absorbent pads to remove oil from the surface of the tarmac. Once the containment phase was effectively executed, we started to excavate to find the leaking pipe, followed by implementing our treatment plan.

Our treatment plan for this site included:

Removal of the impacted underground oil pipe
Injection of a specially formulated biological mix to breakdown the oil within the soil

Removal and relocation of the existing oil tank to a more suitable area
Washing the remaining soils after the completion of biological treatments
Reinstatement of the area using fresh stone and tarmac to ensure full restoration

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