AREA-WIDE SPCC PLANS

 

LOCATION: NASSAU, QUEENS, LONG ISLAND, NY

CLIENT: CONFIDENTIAL

MARKET SECTOR: ENERGY UTILITY

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

PS&S was retained to prepare Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans for 63 Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) substation sites located in Nassau, Queens, and Suffolk Counties, Long Island, New York.

 

THE CHALLENGE

To comply with the 40 CFR 112 Federal Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, the SPCC Plans required detailed information, supported by professional engineer certification, that included a description and diagrams of each facility identifying oil-containing equipment; site drainage paths and potential spill scenarios relating to sensitive environmental receptors; and measures to prevent, control, clean up, and report spills. The primary challenge facing PS&S was the number of facilities involved and the volume of associated information that had to be managed and organized. The proximity of a water body to several of the facilities, in light of heightened public awareness caused by recent oil spills elsewhere in the world, raised the level of concern about spill preparedness.

 

THE PS&S SOLUTION

PS&S adopted an approach that addressed each of the 63 facilities on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the site constraints, regulatory requirements, and need for cost efficiency. For a number of the substation sites with potential impacts to surface water bodies, the SPCC Plans identified the upgraded containment structures implemented to prevent spills from reaching groundwater or surface water.  Each of the SPCC Plans documented the inspection, monitoring and oil transfer procedures used by the substation facility to prevent a potential oil spill from reaching navigable water bodies. The SPCC Plans also identified corporate, regulatory, and municipal contact information in conjunction with the steps to be taken by substation personnel to contain any potential oil spill and avoid impacts to the environment.