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May 5, 2000
Vol. 30, No. 131
For more information, contact Nancy Marker, Waste Management, 302-739-3689,
or Maria A. Taylor, Information and Education, 302-739-4506
Conectiv Oil Recapture and Remediation Progressing
at
Indian River Plant
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reports
announces that the cleanup and recapture of No. 2 fuel oil which leaked
into the ground at Conectiv's Indian River power plant continues at
a satisfactory rate. The Department further reports that it recently
issued specific recommendations on activities associated with recapture
and use of the No. 2 fuel oil.
Conectiv sought the Department's expertise and requested assurance
that burning of the recaptured fuel oil is within the scope of existing
air permits and the Delaware Regulations Governing Hazardous Waste.
The Department agreed that existing permits allow the use of the recaptured
No. 2 fuel oil for combustion purposes onsite, but added conditions
for management of the recaptured fuel oil.
The conditions directed that any recaptured oil must be treated on
site before being reused in the facility's combustion units. The treatment
process will result in excess water and used fuel filters. The water
and filters must be tested for hazardous waste constituents and then
disposed of properly. The Department must be immediately notified at
any time there is a problem during the recapture operations.
Department Secretary Nicholas A. DiPasquale noted that Conectiv's plan
for burning the recaptured product was environmentally efficient. He
also pointed out that the fuel oil is actually cleaner burning than
coal.
"This is a good example of DNREC and a permit holder working
a negative situation into a positive reclamation project," said
DiPasquale. "By recapturing the leaked oil onsite, and reusing
it as an energy source, we alleviate transporting the product. This
saves energy and truck emissions and negates the possibility of another
accidental discharge of the fuel oil to the environment."
In specifying The conditions specified by, DNREC directed that any
ground water associated with the recapture of the released oil must
be sent to Conectiv's onsite industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility
to be treated and discharged in accordance with Connectiv's National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements. Any recaptured
must be treated on site before being reused in the facilities combustion
units. The treatment process will result in excess water and used fuel
filters. The water and filters must be tested for hazardous waste constituents
and then disposed of properly.
DNREC must be notified any time there is a problem in the managing
of the groundwater associated with the recaptured oil recovered water
or the fuel oil recovery recapture operations.
Conectiv has also completed the installation of the underground system
that is designed to minimize further migration of subsurface oil from
the plant leak site to the river. The system that has been installed
consists of large interlocking sheets of metal that have been driven
under the ground just inside the plant next to the river. The interlocked
sheets prevent the oil that is floating on the ground water from reaching
the surface water. Sumps containing oil recovery pumps are installed
on the oil spill side of the pilings. Currently, the recovery system
is being adjusted for maximum recovery of the small amount of oil that
exists in the sumps.
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Document no. 40-01/00/05/05-30-
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