Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plans

The purpose of the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule is to help facilities prevent discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. This rule is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s oil spill prevention program and was published under the authority of the Clean Water Act. The rule may be found at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 112. A facility is covered by the SPCC rule if it has an aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 U.S. gallons or a completely buried storage capacity greater than 42,000 U.S. gallons. Based on the location of the facility relative to nearby waters such as streams, creeks and other waterways, a determination for transport via ditches, gullies, storm sewers or other drainage systems, a SPCC Plan is required to be developed if there is a reasonable expectation that an oil discharge will enter navigable waters of the U.S. Oil of any type and in any form is covered, including, but not limited to petroleum, fuel oil, sludge and oil refuse, and other oils including synthetic oils and mineral oils; fats, oils or greases of animal, fish, or marine mammal origin; and vegetable oils, including oil from seeds, nuts, fruits, or kernels.

A facility that meets the criteria described above must comply with the SPCC rule by preventing oil spills and developing and implementing an SPCC Plan.

Steps that a facility owner/ operator can take to prevent oil spills include:

• Using containers suitable for the oil stored
• Providing overfill prevention for oil storage containers.
• Providing sized secondary containment for bulk storage containers, such as a dike or a remote impoundment or double walled containers.
• Providing general secondary containment such as drip pans or curbing to catch likely spills where transfer of oil to and from containers may occur.
• Periodically inspecting and testing pipes and containers.

Finally, the owner or operator of the facility must develop and implement an SPCC Plan that describes oil handling operations, spill prevention practices, discharge or drainage controls, and the personnel, equipment and resources at the facility that are used to prevent oil spills from reaching navigable waters. Although each SPCC Plan is unique to the facility, there are certain elements that include operating procedures at the facility to prevent oil spills, control measures (such as secondary containment) installed to prevent oil spills from entering navigable waters, countermeasures to contain, cleanup, and mitigate the effects of an oil spill that has impacted navigable waters.

Environmental Realty Services has the experience and expertise to develop SPCC Plans for small and large commercial and industrial facilities.