Coordinated Spill Response Program

1. Coordinated Spill Response Program City of Corpus Christi

2. KORI ELLIEN PROJECT MANAGER-ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY City of Corpus Christi Utilities-Treatment (361) 826-1879

3. Municipal Separate STORM Sewer system (ms4) • Permit Type: Phase I MS4 • Issuing Authority: TCEQ • Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) MS4 Permit: No. WQ0004200000 • Receiving Waters: • Corpus Christi Bay • Nueces Bay • Nueces River • Oso Creek • Oso Bay • Laguna Madre • Gulf of Mexico

4. City of Corpus Christi:Stormwater Infrastructure Metrics 02/2018 • Number of Inlets: 18,228 • Number of Outfalls: 2364 • Miles of Active Stormwater Mains-Underground: 636.4 • Miles of Stormwater Mains Under Construction: 21.4 • Miles of TxDOT Stormwater Mains: 95.3 • Miles of Concrete Ditch: 22.4 • Miles of Main Earthen Ditch: 66.4

5. Back story • In 2016, the city of corpus Christi was audited by the Texas commission on environmental quality (tceq) for compliance with the municipal separate storm sewer system (ms4) permit. The inspector identified a discrepancy in the number of spills reported by the emergency dispatch group and the environmental quality group. Upon further evaluation, the stormwater team identified the root cause.

6. Corrective action: • The City of Corpus Christi Coordinated Spill Response Program (CSRP) was developed in 2017 to correct a gap in spill response as recognized by the City of Corpus Christi Utilities Treatment-Stormwater team. • The CSRP is a cooperative effort between The City of Corpus Christi Stormwater Team, Police Department and Fire Department.

7. The problem • Prior to the program implementation, spill response to minor vehicle accidents lacked remediation; emergency response crews applied absorbent to spills and left the scene. Upon further evaluation, the Stormwater team discovered that emergency crews thought someone was coming behind them after they cleared the scene to remove and dispose of the absorbent. This thought process occurred for years resulting in motor vehicle fluids and absorbent material from minor vehicle crashes being washed directly into the receiving waters through the stormwater system. • Vehicle accident Pollution introduction to ms4 • Absorbent • Motor vehicle fluids • Crash debris

8. Strategic implementation • Identify key players • Define non-negotiables • Organizational alignment • Change culture • Measure effort • Visible proponents

9. Key players: Roles and Responsibility • Hazmat team • Hazard identification; liaison • Stormwater Environmental quality • Environmental spill response and remediation • Ensure proper disposal • enforcement • Dispatch • Central communicator for all teams • Fire department • Second on scene • Pollution mitigation: Dam, dike, divert or sorbent application • Police Department • First on scene; Notifies dispatch of spill • Traffic control

10. Non-negotiables • effectively utilize current staff • cannot impede current response time • Minimal change to response procedures imperative • cost effective • sustainable • Clear rules and responsibilities

11. Organizational alignment • Identify concerns for all involved • Identify clear objective • Develop response strategy

12. Change culture • Change attitude • Increase awareness • Coordinated Training for pollution prevention • First responders • City wide facilities • Hazmat • Environmental quality • Facility personnel • Demonstrate program effectiveness

13. Measurable efforts • Program Justification • Quantifying the benefit of proper response for any spill • Number of motor vehicle accidents resulting in loss of fluid other than water • Approximate gallons of motor vehicle fluids recovered • Approximate lbs of sorbent and debris recovered

14. Visible proponents • Creating a standard that will be adhered to • Police chief • Fire chief • Environmental services superintendent • Risk management manager

15. Key elements • Communication • Fire Department • Police Department • Utilities • Hazmat Team • Water Quality Improvements • Capturing majority of petroleum based pollutants from minor motor vehicle accidents • Capturing majority of motor vehicle debris

16. Program implementation • November 1, 2007-October 31, 2015: • Total spill Responses: 56 • Average Per Year: 8 • November 1, 2016-October 31, 2017: • Total spill responses Prior to Program Implementation: 25 • Total spill responses After Program Implementation: 119 • Percent Increase: 376% • November 1, 2017- may 10, 2018: • Total spill Responses: 133 Date of implementation: July 27, 2017

17. Program success • The CSRP corrected all spill response gap with minimal change to response procedures. • Police dispatch operators • notify the stormwater Environmental Quality Specialist (EQS) team for each crash resulting in a spill of liquid other than water • police department controls traffic until scene is cleared by all parties • fire department sweeps the absorbent to the curb for pickup rather than leaving the absorbent material on the roadway • Environmental Quality team collects all absorbent for proper disposal. • Responses to incidents occurring during off-duty hours are prioritized according to severity and chance of precipitation.

18. Csrp: effectively awesome • Estimated Motor Vehicle Fluids Recovered Since Implementation: 528 gal • Estimated Absorbent Recovered Since Implementation: 20,086 lbs based on current estimates, The CSRP is expected to prevent approximately 1080 gallons of motor vehicle fluid and 26,978 pounds of absorbent material from entering the receiving waters in 2018

19. Now, for some pictures…

20. RESPONSE BEFORE CSRP: PROACTIVE

23. RESPONSE AFTER CRSP

25. QUESTIONS? KORI ELLIEN PROJECT MANAGER-ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI UTILITIES-TREATMENT KORIE@CCTEXAS.COM (361) 826-1879