We couldn’t have asked for a better December. The forecasts were favorable, the snow was inching up the marker and Bogus Basin was open. It was a textbook beginning to the 2000-2001 season. And then it happened. Two nordic skiers walked into the lodge Sunday evening, December 3, and said they smelled oil near a trail just above pristine Bogus Creek.
The sun was about to set, making it difficult to thoroughly investigate, but Steve Shake, VP of operations, sent two employees to have a look. They reported they saw “a sheen” on the water. As night fell, managers reviewed logs of all the recently-installed, federally-regulated tanks and compared volumes to computer records. Nothing turned up askew.
What unfolded was a crash course in environmental and crisis management. Bogus Basin moved swiftly to avert a pollution nightmare, a possible media frenzy and what could have amounted to a Brink’s truck worth of fines. In the end, as a result of Bogus Basin’s response, the resort earned rare accolades from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
At first light on Monday, Shake was crouched over Bogus Creek. “From the color and the composition of the sample,” he says, “we knew it was heating oil.”
The source of the leak was quickly confirmed. It was leaking from a non-regulated, 5,000-gallon, underground tank behind the main day lodge. The heating oil traveled 150 yards in an old drain culvert before dribbling into Bogus Creek.
Shake knew the potential for disaster and immediately called Mike Shirley, Bogus Basin president and GM, who was in Vail at The Skiing Company Summit meeting. A simple response plan was drawn: make it right, use pros, notify the authorities, keep a chronology and make it public, using the correct words.
A release was distributed and Shake handled all media inquiries. The resort hired Safety-Kleen Corp., which has an office in Boise, and they alerted federal and state agencies. Bogus Basin, meanwhile, notified the U.S. Forest Service, county officials and the resort’s insurer.
By 10 a.m., Safety-Kleen had pumped 4,000 gallons from the tank, which had been filled eight weeks before when the resort started heating the lodge. There was no telling how much fuel had leaked.
Bogus Basin crews placed absorbent booms in several areas of the creek, including a spot just above a cattle ranch—the resort’s nearest neighbor—six miles downstream. By mid-afternoon, the EPA and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) arrived and the media started calling.
The Play-by-Play
The following are excerpts from the actual chronology of the cleanup:
Tuesday, 12/05/00 Crews installed separator tanks at end of culvert, working with DEQ and EPA on collection and cleanup. The product is visible 1-mile downstream. Beyond that, there is no sign of contamination. Arranged for additional 1,100-gallon tank for collection. Media contacted. Idaho Statesman called and talked with Steve Shake, story appeared in Wednesday’s paper, page 3B.
Wednesday, 12/06/00 Bogus Basin crews installed large tank for separation process. EPA and DEQ arrive on site. Safety-Kleen recommends hiring consultant to help Bogus Basin comply with federal regulations. Media contacted.
Thursday, 12/07/00 Dale’s Service Inc. arrived early a.m. to remove heating-oil tank. EPA and DEQ arrived on scene. Consultant, Mark Torf arrived. Media contacted. Removal of the tank was laborious due to frozen ground conditions. Tank removed at 5:30 p.m. It was too dark to investigate the area. . . .
Friday, 12/08/00 At first light, the tank was inspected and there was no visible sign of leak. Crews removed all contaminated soil and backfilled the hole. Bogus Basin employees installed more filters in the settling tank. No signs of heating oil coming from the culvert.
Sunday, 12/10/00 Crews continued replacing filters. The only product visible was located on rocks and in the dirt in the area near the outlet of the culvert.
Monday, 12/11/00 EPA OK’d removal of filters near the outlet of the culvert. Bogus Basin crews continued hand cleanup work of rocks and other areas near the outlet of the culvert.
Wednesday, 12/13/00 Crews discovered product near the discharge area. As a result, they re-established filtration. A change in temperature (warming) likely caused this extra product to discharge.
Thursday, 12/14/00 EPA directed Bogus Basin to continue cleaning and watching. The agency released Bogus Basin from the filter clean up. However, the resort continued the operation.
Thursday, 12/21/00 . . . Bogus Basin crews and Safety-Kleen flushed 150 gallons of hot water down the culvert (twice). No product (found) . . . all pumped by Safety-Kleen and removed.
Response Earned High Marks
In the end, Bogus Basin was penalized $7,200 by the EPA. That figure is considered a pittance by management compared to the possible $25,000 per day it could have paid.
According to an EPA press release, “. . . once they (Bogus Basin) realized there was a problem, they wasted no time in making sure the job was done right. . . . We wish everyone responded to environmental accidents in such a speedy, responsible manner.”
“Skiers and riders may not have noticed, but snow recreation took a back seat to the cleanup,” says Torf, who noted the EPA press release was the most positive statement he had ever encountered from the agency regarding a spill.
Members of Idaho’s largest conservation group were also watching. “Ski resorts are in partnership with the land,” says Rick Johnson, executive director of the Idaho Conservation League. “And to jump on the oil leak as aggressively as Bogus did, is a model for all ski resorts.”
To date, Bogus Basin has spent about $50,000 on the cleanup, hiring professionals to aid in the process and converting the lodge’s heating system to propane. Hundreds of employee hours were spent on the cleanup during some of our busiest skier days.
“The best advice I can offer,” says Shirley, “is to get out in front of it, be totally open and honest with the public and media, and hire professional help. This is no time to cut corners. . . . Steve Shake and his crew did an outstanding job of damage control,” he says. “It could have been much, much worse.”
In this industry, things often happen over which you have no control. Fortunately, you have control over how you respond to these situations. Bogus Basin acted quickly to hire the best people to help, dedicated major resources and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with regulatory agencies. In the end, it paid off.
Are You Ready? An Environmental Checklist
Once you isolate the source of contamination, you can start addressing the obligatory steps. Visit www.epa.gov/oilspill/ for regulations and proper actions in case of spills. Call the National Resource Center at 1-800-424-8802 as well as state, county and local disaster services. The following is a partial list of steps to take while developing a contingency plan:
- Contact local companies that specialize in hazardous materials cleanup, environmental consulting, on-site testing and oil tank removal.
- Get the names and locations of possibly affected drainages, stream volumes, the phone numbers and addresses of nearest downstream users and how they use the water.
- Identify water truck suppliers in case downstream users need temporary relief.
- Keep a current log on all oil and petroleum purchases and establish a regular check on all volumes and condition of unregulated tanks.
- Keep a site map on hand detailing all buried tanks, storm drains, electrical and water lines, phone lines and hidden installations.
- Issue a factual press release, without speculation, through a designated media contact.
—Steve Shake, V.P. of mountain operations
