Experience will tell us that no two spills are exactly the same and having the experience here to know how to properly and effectively handle these situations is all the difference. Knowing where the spill has occurred (on soil, road, water, waterways, drainage systems, concrete, pavement) what the temperature it is (inside or outside), what the precipitation is (at the moment and upcoming) and is the substance mixed with any other substances. These are typically the beginning steps to what is needed to know in order to begin the process of how to properly handle a clean up effort.
In certain situations remediation can take time to resolve in order to return the site to its original state. One of the most common spills we see are heating oil releases. Some of these are by way of delivery truck accidents and others by natural causes. Affected areas can be on roads, waterways, homes, residential properties, or even off roadside shoulders, all of which need to able to be accessed. If a spill happens on soil, the impacted soils need to be excavated via a track mounted machine and properly transported for disposal. Then absorbents can be placed at the site. In water, absorbent booms and padding, on pavement and concrete, an application of speedy dry, and in drainage systems, all catch basins will need to be investigated and have absorbent booms installed. In most cases all absorbents will need to be monitored, removed, and replaced. On soil, field screening and sampling activities will take place before ultimately backfilling with clean suitable material.
These are just some of the steps involved to a successful clean up/remediation all the while following all local and state guidelines and working with governing agencies and laboratories.