Power firm cleans spill of fuel oil

Friday, Dec. 29, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

Nevada Power Co. crews are finishing the cleanup of thousands of gallons of gooey fuel oil that spilled from a corroded storage tank at the Sunrise Generating Station east of Las Vegas.

About a six-day supply of the thick oil oozed out of a 1.2 million gallon fuel tank at the 37-year-old power generating station, but was contained immediately, Dennis Schwer, environmental supervisor for Nevada Power, said.

Captured in a sand-filled, plastic-lined berm, the oil has been shipped to a licensed landfill in Utah, Schwer said.

The spill began on Dec. 17 and was reported to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, as required by law.

What puzzles Nevada Power officials is why the tank corroded, Schwer said. The steel storage vessel had been inspected 10 years ago, yet enough water had sunk to the bottom of the tank to corrode it.

The tanks are usually inspected every eight to 10 years. "They found nothing at the time of the last inspection," Schwer said.

"For a tank to have a problem after 10 years is really unusual," he said. "Usually it takes decades for the steel to corrode."

The utility company activated its spill plan and was able to contain the oil immediately.

The fuel is so thick it must be heated before it is delivered through a pipeline to power generators about 300 feet away, Schwer said.

Thirteen feet beneath the basin lies a shallow layer of ground water, which the state is monitoring for contamination, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Corrective Action Supervisor Jennifer Carr said.

The Corrective Actions Branch has continued to oversee the company's cleanup, Carr said, because it is not only near the ground water but also near the Las Vegas Wash. The wash drains into Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's major drinking water supply.

The oil spill occurred during Southern Nevada's cooler wintertime temperatures, so it has posed little threat to either water supply.

"If you're going to have an oil spill, this is the kind to have," Schwer said.