Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?
Like i said, i was just curious about it.
Won't it just evaporate?
No, it won't evaporate. I'm not up to speed on the nature of the spill, but it depends on the situation. If it spilled onto the ground surface, it likely ran across the ground and into a waterway somewhere. Dry creek beds will quickly collect spills like this and it'll seep into the ground, potentially contaminating the groundwater. If it's a wet creek, the gas will generally float on top of the water and can be transported a LONG way like that. In that case, hazmat crews will use spill containment booms on the water surface to try to contain the spill. In either case, it's a potentially a very complex and costly cleanup effort. Depending, obviously, on the amount and nature of the spill. Gasoline is certainly more volatile than diesel, but if we're talking about bulk quantities here, then there will be a spill response of some kind. Even if most of the gasoline volatilizes off and into the air, it will leave heavier constituents behind, which will have to be mitigated somehow.
I remember a big Colonial Pipeline spill in Herndon, VA, in the early '90s. Diesel fuel gushed out of the ruptured pipe like a geyser. We saw the plume in the air on our way to church that morning (it was right behind Reston Hospital along Baron Cameron Ave). Hazmat crews were already on scene, and I presume Colonial was, also, trying to get the pipe shut down. Most of the fuel spilled got into Sugarland Run, which drains to the Potomac River. They had an oil slick as far downstream as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (some 60-100 miles south on the Potomac). I used to ride my bike all the time in Sugarland Run Trail Park (paved trails along the stream), and I couldn't ride for weeks because the stench of diesel filled the air. There was a huge fish kill and all sorts of ecological problems.
Colonial had a huge PR response, including a massive picnic for the public up at Algonquin Park that summer.
from the article:
"State workers discovered the leak when they noticed a strong gasoline odor and sheen on a man-made retention pond, along with dead vegetation nearby, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in the report."
"From an ecological standpoint, the spill couldn't have happened at a better place or time because the terrain funneled the fuel into the pond and the water was low enough in the small lake to enable it to hold the gas, said Butler, of Cahaba Riverkeeper."
Just wondering after containment and clean up, where does the fuel, contaminated water and contaminated soil end up? Incineration? Landfill(least likely but you never know)? Once again just curious.
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the gasoline that leaked out of the pipeline? How does that get disposed of? or is it somehow reused?
Like i said, i was just curious about it.
Won't it just evaporate?
No, it won't evaporate. I'm not up to speed on the nature of the spill, but it depends on the situation. If it spilled onto the ground surface, it likely ran across the ground and into a waterway somewhere. Dry creek beds will quickly collect spills like this and it'll seep into the ground, potentially contaminating the groundwater. If it's a wet creek, the gas will generally float on top of the water and can be transported a LONG way like that. In that case, hazmat crews will use spill containment booms on the water surface to try to contain the spill. In either case, it's a potentially a very complex and costly cleanup effort. Depending, obviously, on the amount and nature of the spill. Gasoline is certainly more volatile than diesel, but if we're talking about bulk quantities here, then there will be a spill response of some kind. Even if most of the gasoline volatilizes off and into the air, it will leave heavier constituents behind, which will have to be mitigated somehow.
I remember a big Colonial Pipeline spill in Herndon, VA, in the early '90s. Diesel fuel gushed out of the ruptured pipe like a geyser. We saw the plume in the air on our way to church that morning (it was right behind Reston Hospital along Baron Cameron Ave). Hazmat crews were already on scene, and I presume Colonial was, also, trying to get the pipe shut down. Most of the fuel spilled got into Sugarland Run, which drains to the Potomac River. They had an oil slick as far downstream as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (some 60-100 miles south on the Potomac). I used to ride my bike all the time in Sugarland Run Trail Park (paved trails along the stream), and I couldn't ride for weeks because the stench of diesel filled the air. There was a huge fish kill and all sorts of ecological problems.
Colonial had a huge PR response, including a massive picnic for the public up at Algonquin Park that summer.
from the article:
"State workers discovered the leak when they noticed a strong gasoline odor and sheen on a man-made retention pond, along with dead vegetation nearby, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in the report."
"From an ecological standpoint, the spill couldn't have happened at a better place or time because the terrain funneled the fuel into the pond and the water was low enough in the small lake to enable it to hold the gas, said Butler, of Cahaba Riverkeeper."
Just wondering after containment and clean up, where does the fuel, contaminated water and contaminated soil end up? Incineration? Landfill(least likely but you never know)? Once again just curious.
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