Attachment_No_05_-_Sewage_Spill_Guidance.pdf

RM83(B4) – Raw Sewage Spill Notification & Cleanup Guidance 1 of 2 2003

Reference Manual 83B4 Raw Sewage Spill Notification

& Cleanup Guidance

Raw Sewage Spill Notification

• All raw sewage spills and overflows require a verbal notification within one business day to the Superintendent, Occupational Health and Safety office, and the Public Health Consultant (PHC). The NPS Unit Manager is responsible for notifying State and local authorities.

• Any raw sewage spills or overflows exceeding 1,000 gallons require a written follow-up report within two working days to the Park Superintendent, PHC, Primacy Agency (usually the State/Local Health Authority) and anyone else the NPS Unit Manager deems necessary.

• In the event of a fish kill, immediately notify the appropriate divisions within the park as well as the appropriate primacy department/division/agency. Provide updates as needed.

• When leaving a message please provide your name, return phone number, location of spill/overflow (include cross streets and nearest address), rate of flow, volume, surface water bodies impacted, agencies that have responded if known, cause of spill and the repair and cleanup actions undertaken.

• If there are known downstream drinking water sources all potentially affected individuals and system operators should be contacted of spills that may effect their water quality.

The written report shall include:

Include all of the above information and the duration of the incident, size of the affected area, and the agency contacts made during the notification. Also, provide a detailed description of the repair and cleanup actions taken, and a statement on what steps will be taken to minimize/prevent a spill or overflow recurrence.

Dry Weather Cleanup & Posting:

1. Post sign(s) warning the public of the release with at least the wording of "raw sewage."

Restrict public access to spill affected area. The public should be advised of the potential health risks and warn them not to enter the affected area.

2. Health warnings shall remain posted until PHC and/or Primacy Agency authorizes their removal or sampling results indicate that there is no risk to human health.

3. Contain and divert the flow to the nearest sanitary sewer or collect with a vacuum truck.

4. After the flows have been stopped and repairs made, rake or vacuum up raw sewage solids. The solids should be bagged and disposed of in a landfill. Workers must wear appropriate PPE (disposable gloves, disposable tyvex suits, rubber boots, face shield or splashguard) and thoroughly wash off after clean up has been completed.

5. Flush the affected area with clean water and divert runoff into the nearest sewer. If there is potential human contact to the raw sewage, such as a campground, the affected area should be roped-off and quarantined until the Park/PHC/Primacy Agency deems it is safe.

Treatment of the site may include dusting of granular HTH or the application of a weak anhydrous lime/water mixture. However, the general use of disinfectants is not

RM83(B4) – Raw Sewage Spill Notification & Cleanup Guidance 2 of 2 2003 recommended for all raw sewage spills due to potential toxicity to fish and wildlife. Contact the PHC for more information.

6. Sampling should be conducted upstream and downstream in receiving water per Primacy Agency requirements. If there are no Primacy Agency requirements, samples should be analyzed for fecal coliform.

Wet Weather Cleanup & Posting:

The same as Dry Weather Cleanup & Posting, flushing with water and sampling may be omitted if storm water flow is high and sampling is impractical.

Please insert emergency phone numbers here:

Contact Phone Number NPS Unit Manager Public Health Consultant Park office (after hours) Local Primacy Agency Other Other

Raw sewage Spill Notification and Minimum Cleanup Procedures is a re-write of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board's sewage spill notification and cleanup response requirements for sewage collection agencies