Oil Spill help? FML

[Racer56]

Last Thursday, the trash truck picking up the trash blew a hydraulic hose and dumped 30-50 gallons of hydraulic oil in front of my house. The driver used up his one and only bag of kitty litter to build a dam for the oil in front of my neighbors house. The sanitation district mechanic came and capped the hydraulic line and covered all of the oil spill with more kitty litter and they took off.

My wife started calling the city incestantly, asking when they would send someone to clean up the mess. The city insisted that they already cleaned it up and there was nothing else they could do. WTF? My wife called bullshit and the sanitation district agreed to send someone out the next morning.

The district manager and a helper started sweeping up the kitty litter, adding more to absorb the rest of the standing oil and said that's all they can do. I told them that they need to dispose of the oil soaked kitty litter and steam clean the street. They reluctantly agreed to take the waste with them, but could not and would not steam clean the 300-400 s/f oil soaked street. Total BS! F the city of LA!

I'm going to pressure wash the street myself and I am looking for recommendations for what I should apply to the oil soaked asphalt before I start washing. What say you?

 

[HALLETT BOY]

You need to call the local environmental health department, they have people there just aching for something like this to happen !

 

[Wheeler]

I wouldn't touch it. You start disturbing the spill and causing it to run into the storm drains the city might just come fine you.

I'd start with these guys.
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-incidents/how-report-spills-and-environmental-violations

 

[yz450mm]

Not a chance in hell you'd catch me doing that... with my luck I'd get busted for putting hazardous materials down the storm drain and then it's all over.

Take pictures, go to City Hall and make a fuss. Make them clean up their own mess.

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[jetboatperformance]

They should re-meditate it forth with no questions

 

[Waterjunky]

Start poking around on some of the state websites. Get ahold of a few in Sacramento and be the squeaky wheel. Also if nothing else works talk to a few of the greeny groups. All streets runoff into creeks and natural areas. This is not OK, but the sanitation co is just hopping you drop it and clean up after then. Don't do it, they have very serious consequences for not doing a full and proper cleanup. Document it.
Talk to the district manager and push them to write what they are saying down. Knowingly not doing the cleanup will get them in still more trouble and they know it. Email is your friend on all of this.

I am notorious for in the middle of those conversations stopping and asking "can I get that in writing?" You would be shocked at how often the story changes and things get taken care of.

 

[Instigator]

Don't touch it!!!!
If you wash it you will be fined for polluting the storm drains!!!
Call your local environmental department and then your local representative for your district!!
The self serving pricks in our government pass all these laws and then somehow believe that they are exempt from them.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander bitches!!!!

 

[DLC]

Call the city directly and ask some questions about oil leaks in the street to see if they respond...

You know if it was you spilling the oil they would have the fire Dept with Haz May out there billing you hourly to clean it up!!!

As for dealing with the mess your self move the kitty litter around every night and morning to get the fresh litter to absorb the oil/ wet spots. When you pressure wash use some dawn soap and scrub it with a broom and use hot water tap into the bottom of your water heater drain....

After it drys get some asphalt sealer and reseal in Frt of your house.

I don’t know if there is a chemical to help out in removing the stain....

 

[Rayson1971]

Dont touch it. Play there game. Call the EPA or equal.

 

[Racer56]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but I also should have mentioned that the sanitation district uses vegetable oil in their hydraulic systems. Everyone is telling me that it is completely environmentally friendly and doesn't classify as a toxic oil spill. In the meantime, I'm worried the oil will go rancid and start to stink. It is also starting to degrade what's left of the slurry seal on the street.

 

[Mr. C]

Well if that is true. Maybe some boiling soapy water to dilute it and then pressure wash it away.
Might take a few times.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Call the local fire dept. They know the drill for local hazmat laws and who cleans up. Like others said, you mess with it, you'll get fined...even though you're trying to do good. If it's WM, the city will twist their arm to take care of it. If it's city owned, you'll be callind the state..

 

[Rayson1971]

Dawn dish soap

 

[rivrrts429]

Same thing happened on our street last summer. Trash truck blew a hydraulic line and puked its guts. Only the driver didn’t notice right away and left a mess for about 500 yards.

Sanitation company used the kitty litter method too. What didn’t get soaked up with the kitty litter disappeared in 4-6 weeks.

Seemed like Mother Nature handled the heavy lifting. Can’t tell anything ever happened.

 

[240Hallett]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but I also should have mentioned that the sanitation district uses vegetable oil in their hydraulic systems. Everyone is telling me that it is completely environmentally friendly and doesn't classify as a toxic oil spill. In the meantime, I'm worried the oil will go rancid and start to stink. It is also starting to degrade what's left of the slurry seal on the street.

One would think that it is only non-toxic if it doesn’t pick up any materials running through the hydraulic system…

 

[LHC Kirby]

Milk is non-toxic..... if you spill it into a water way - major fines.... CALL YOUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT they are the ones that will make things happen.

*yes I know it was vegetable oil - that's my point... just because THEY say it's okay...does not mean it is.

 

[SkyDirtWaterguy]

Take pictures
Document everything. Time, date, etc.
Don’t do any cleanup yourself.
After you have exhausted all efforts with the city, trash company, EPA, etc call local news channel and tell them your story and have them come out and run a story about what happened.
Somebody will be out there cleaning it up and making it right....

 

[28Eliminator]

Call the local news.. grab a beer and enjoy the show !!


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[Yellowboat]

Fuck them, call the epa....

 

[Ziggy]

Make some french fries with it then put it in your diesel fuel tank.
.
Make your complaint inclusive to it being tracked all around by cars on the road including soiling your own driveway.

 

[rivermobster]

Call the local fire dept. They know the drill for local hazmat laws and who cleans up. Like others said, you mess with it, you'll get fined...even though you're trying to do good. If it's WM, the city will twist their arm to take care of it. If it's city owned, you'll be callind the state..

this ^^^

 

[4Waters]

Call the local fire dept. They know the drill for local hazmat laws and who cleans up. Like others said, you mess with it, you'll get fined...even though you're trying to do good. If it's WM, the city will twist their arm to take care of it. If it's city owned, you'll be callind the state..

It's a city owned trash truck

 

[rmarion]

Simple green

Spray, agitate, pressure wash

All work performed in the evening hours...

 

[Wheeler]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but I also should have mentioned that the sanitation district uses vegetable oil in their hydraulic systems. Everyone is telling me that it is completely environmentally friendly and doesn't classify as a toxic oil spill. In the meantime, I'm worried the oil will go rancid and start to stink. It is also starting to degrade what's left of the slurry seal on the street.

https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response/vegetable-oils-and-animal-fats

Animal fats and vegetable oils are regulated under 40 CFR 112, which has identical requirements for petroleum and non-petroleum oils. Petroleum oils, vegetable oils, and animal fats share common physical properties and produce similar environmental effects. Like petroleum oils, vegetable oils and animal fats and their constituents can:

• Cause devastating physical effects, such as coating animals and plants with oil and suffocating them by oxygen depletion;
• Be toxic and form toxic products;
• Destroy future and existing food supplies, breeding animals, and habitats;
• Produce rancid odors;
• Foul shorelines, clog water treatment plants, and catch fire when ignition sources are present; and
• Form products that linger in the environment for many years.

 

[c_land]

Regional Water Quality Control Board is who you want to threaten the City with calling. You want to threaten action by the State against the City's MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) Permit that is administered by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Use their buzzwords. Find out who is in charge of administering their MS4. Either Public Works or Engineering Departments usually and talk to them.

 

[Taboma]

Call the local news.. grab a beer and enjoy the show !!


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That's the call I'd make as well, namely the local CBS affiliate. They'll send chopper 8 and a film crew.

 

[Old Texan]

30-50 gallons is one helluva lot of hydraulic oil. Must have been some kind of super truck to have a reservoir that size.

In any case, don't mess with it or you'll be the one to get "oiled" with a big fine for moving it into the sewer system.

 

[Chili Palmer]

Don't touch it. Take pictures.
Call the newspapers, call John and Ken on KFI, call your city's code enforcement, call the EPA, call AQMD, call TV stations, call the fire department, call the police department, call LA Flood Control District.

Be a dick just like they'd be to you if spilled oil in the street and code enforcement saw it.

 

[AEA]

Call Fish and Game while you are calling everybody else. They used to be very interested in spills, not sure how they are now.

 

[Racer56]

Update:

Called local CalEpa field office and they were not much help. I realized it was street cleaning day and waited for him. When the street sweeper dude showed up, I stopped him and explained to him what happened. He gladly made repeated passes over the affected area until the majority of it was cleaned up. All that's really left is residue in the gutter. I tried to give him money, but he said no thanks it's part of the job! Needless to say street sweeper dude is going to get a nice X-Mas gift this year.

 

[DLC]

Nicely done! You lucked out - street sweeper way to go!!!

 

[Rvrluvr]

Leave it. The asphalt is all oil & rocks

 

[JBS]

30-50 gallons is one helluva lot of hydraulic oil. Must have been some kind of super truck to have a reservoir that size.

In any case, don't mess with it or you'll be the one to get "oiled" with a big fine for moving it into the sewer system.

Lol. [emoji23] I did not want to be the one to say it. That would be a lot of oil. Reality is probably less than 5 gallons. Oil really spreads


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[REVENGE 97]

CAT SPOT is what NHRA uses for oil clean up

 

[Deckin Around]

burn it. If it doesnt light, cover in gas and burn it