• Diesel Fuel Spills
• Hazardous Material Spills
• Stored Hazardous Materials

Diesel Fuel Spills

The predominant type of material spilled in Montgomery County falls into the Fuel/Diesel Fuel category and covers the range of fuels that include diesel fuel, kerosene, home heating oil, and jet fuels. By far the most commonly spilled fuel is diesel fuel. Most trucks travelling through Montgomery County are powered by diesel engines and use diesel fuel as their energy source. The fuel for these trucks is contained in a saddle tank that is located on the cab of a truck, just below each of the passenger doors. You will see these tanks on tractor-trailer rigs, dump trucks, delivery trucks and other large vehicles. Generally the bottom of these tanks are approximately 12 inches from the road surface. The capacity of these tanks can range from 50 to 120 gallons, allowing a total conveyance of up to 240 gallons of fuel. The placement of these tanks puts them in an extremely vulnerable position, subject to punctures from road debris, curbs, vehicle accidents and numerous other hazards. A change in design or placement of these tanks could result in a significant reduction of spilled fuel in Montgomery County and throughout the entire United States.

An attempt to reduce fuel spills by 25% in Montgomery County is laudable; however, it is not likely that any endeavors at a county or even state level could appreciably reduce spills. Most of these releases result from accidents, many which involve vehicles from other states on interstate highways. The good news is that the fire department responds and takes immediate action to mitigate the spills. They then work with the Department of Environmental Protection to assure that all spills are fully remediated. The spills environmental indicator may require a different perspective that the others we are using to evaluate the environmental quality of Montgomery County. Even if the numbers of spills increase, we know that the public is becoming more aware of reporting spills. If the spills are reported, they are handled in a way that benefits the community.

Since the trucks travelling through Montgomery County are generally transiting on interstate highways, state or local legislation would not be effective in changing the design and incorporation of saddle tanks. To effect such a change would require federal legislation to create new US Department of Transportation regulations. The only way that the laws will change is if a federal legislator with great backing introduces such a law. There will certainly be a great deal of resistance from the trucking industry, who would have to pay additional costs for the upgraded fuel system and retrofits. The legislation would be difficult to sell to the trucking industry because on an individual company basis, they would not likely see a benefit for the additional costs.

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Hazardous Material Spills

The most common type of hazardous materials incident in Montgomery County results from vehicle accidents where the fuel tank is damaged. Hydraulic oil can also be spilled during an accident or when hydraulic lines break on a ttruck or piece of heavy equipment. Fuel and hydraulic oil is easily recovered when the material spills on the ground or roadway. The Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services work diligently when arriving at the scene of a spill to prevent any material from entering the stormdrain system and any  subsequent natural waterways.

Chemical, acid and mercury spills occur both in residential and industrial settings and are usually contained within a confined area and recovered. Gaseous material releases can come from home propane tanks or ammonia and chlorine cylinders. Most agricultural and lawn products spills include pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides spilled by home users. Some of these spills result from accidents involving lawn maintenance company vehicles.

1998 DFRS Responses to Spills of Hazardous Materials 

Stored Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials stored in the county have the potential to cause harm if they are released into the community by contaminating surface or groundwater or polluting the air. Chemical users are generally divided into the commercial and residential sectors.

Commercial chemical users, such as manufacturers, printers, laboratories, gasoline stations and dry cleaners, store very small quantities of materials. These chemical users are required to follow a wide-ranging set of federal, state, and local regulations for the storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials. Because of these comprehensive regulations, emergency planning and oversight of hazardous material users, the chances of harm from the commerce sector is low.

Hazardous materials stored in Montgomery County homes can present a higher risk because the users are not regulated and they may be unaware of the hazards. These products, such as pesticides, gasoline, and other poisonous materials, may be stored carelessly or for lengthy periods of time.

Hazardous substance users are required to report these products to the Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC) in Montgomery County. This information on hazardous chemicals is provided to the Fire Department and to the public under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act as part of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA).

Facilities registered with the Montgomery County LEPC

Definitions:

SARA Facilities: Any facility subject to the reporting and planning requirements of EPCRA.

High Use 0ccupancy: Any facility which has at any time during the year a hazardous inventory:

A. Equal to or greater than 2000 pounds or 220 gallons aggregate quantity of hazardous substances, but less than the reporting requirements of EPCRA; or

B. Equal to or greater than 10 pounds of any single extremely hazardous substance as published in 40 CFR 355 (but less than the TPQ for the reporting as a SARA facility).

General Use Facilities: Any facility which has at any time during the year a hazardous inventory:

A. Less than 2000 pounds or 220 gallons aggregate quantity of hazardous substances, but equal to or greater than 500 pounds or 55 gallons aggregate; or

B. Greater than 2 pounds and less than 10 pounds (but less than the TPQ for reporting as a SARA facility) of any single extremely hazardous substance as published in 40 CFR 355.

Facilities dispensing fuels to the general public from underground tanks, without vehicle servicing or repair capabilities, are classified as General Use.

Laboratories are classified General Use where:

A. Any single hazardous substance is equal to or greater than 5 pounds or 1 gallon, or

B.  Any single extremely hazardous substance, as published in 40 CFR, is greater than 1 pound.

Light Use Facilities: Any facility which has at any time during the year, a hazardous inventory:

A. Equal to or greater than 50 pounds or 5 gallons aggregate quantity of hazardous substances, but less than the reporting threshold of a General Use Facility; or,

B. Equal to or greater than 1 pound and less than 2 pounds of any single extremely hazardous substance as published in 40 CFR 355 (but less than the TPQ for reporting as a SARA facility), or single extremely hazardous substance as published in 40 CFR 355

Laboratories, including but not limited to medical, school, research and commercial facilities, under the direct supervision of a technically qualified individual, are classified as Light Use, where any single extremely hazardous substance, as published in 40 CFR 355, does not exceed 1 pound.

Exempt Facilities:  The following facilities or substances are exempt for the purposes of this regulation:

• Farms
• Prepackaged Substances
• Private domiciles
• Federal & State facilities

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