Thousands of oil and chemical spills occur in the United States each year. Depending on the severity and location of a spill, it can contaminate our surface water resources (rivers, lakes and streams) and render them unfit for use in the drinking water treatment process. Rather than wait for spills to happen, many water utilities take a proactive approach to planning for and even helping reduce the risk of spills before they happen. Halifax County Service Authority (HCSA), located in South Boston, Virginia, is one of them.
HCSA operates within the Dan River basin portion of the larger Roanoke River basin. This area is home to 231 facilities that store more than 10,000 pounds of hazardous chemicals and 750 facilities likely to store smaller amounts of chemicals. These companies transport these chemicals in and out of the area daily, creating a constant risk of accidental spills resulting in source water contamination.
HCSA studied traffic patterns, researched the types and amounts of chemicals most likely to spill and identified the best mitigation and response actions. Based on the data and HCSA’s specific needs, the service authority developed recommendations to reduce the risk of spill contamination events and prepare for a safe and efficient response to protect people, the environment and the drinking water treatment plant.
These are a few of their practices:
- Place signs along major highways to alert motorists and emergency responders of the potential for surface water contamination should a spill occur, and provide HCSA contact information.
- Meet with the higher risk facilities to discuss potential spills that may occur on the property, determine access for first responders, and discuss spill notification responses.
- Contact emergency response organizations annually to request inclusion on the contact tree for emergency response events that could affect water supply.
Proactive efforts such as these make a major contribution toward protecting the water resources that, when treated, provide the citizens of the Commonwealth with clean and safe drinking water. Raise of glass of tap water and make a toast to these behind the scenes public health heroes!