ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Drift River Terminal tank farm is designed to contain spills and to prevent a catastrophic failure of its tanks. State of Alaska regulations require each tank to have containment that can hold 110 percent of that tank’s full capacity.
At the Drift River Terminal, each tank is surrounded by its own five-foot berm, designed to contain all oil that might release in a catastrophic event. The tank farm sits about a mile and a half from the inlet.
Should a major lahar or flooding event cause a wash out of tank containment berms, spill response equipment exists within the Cook Inlet region to address such an event.
After the planned reduction of oil in the two active tanks, approximately 3.3 million gallons 80,000 barrels will remain. Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response Inc. CISPRI, an industry spill cooperative, maintains equipment and employs personnel that would be able to handle a spill of 3.3 million gallons.
Cook Inlet response organizations have equipment capable of a recovery capacity of over 2.1 million gallons 50,000 barrels per day immediately available in Cook Inlet. They have about 90,000 barrels of immediate storage in barges and bladders. This equipment is not one time use. It can be used and reused.
If a spill should occur before the oil in the two active tanks is reduced, CISPRI can call on other spill cooperatives within the state to supplement equipment needs. There exists within Alaska sufficient spill response resources to adequately respond to a spill of this size. The network of spill cooperatives has been alerted and available equipment has been identified.
