Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Inspections
Leading Natural Gas and Electric Utility Company • Multiple Sites Throughout Indiana
Solution Overview
Client:
Leading natural gas and electric utility company
Business Challenge:
- Compliance with SPCC rules under the Clean Water Act (CWA)
Solution:
- Thorough and effective SPCC plans and consistent inspections
Results:
- Apex has been able to address any problems and/or issues before they arise, helping the client to achieve compliance excellence
Challenge
Apex Companies team members have been managing and providing monthly SPCC plan inspections for 16 different electric and natural gas substations located throughout Indiana, since 2019. These facilities store more than 1,320 gallons of oil on-site; therefore, they are subject to the oil pollution prevention regulations in 40 CFR Part 112 of the CWA.
Areas of concern associated with the sites include maintenance garages, electrical transformer storage, used oil storage, service center areas, mobile equipment storage and maintenance areas, fleet buildings, and various substation operation areas. Constituents utilized onsite include gasoline, diesel, new and used oil, hydraulic fluid, and transformer oil.
Solution
Apex team members took over monthly inspection obligations of the sites in 2019 which included updating SPCC plans from 2016. Apex communicated any changes or deviations from the 2016 plans immediately upon discovery and assisted in the revision of the associated SPCC plans. Apex identified a number of concerns not previously noted in the SPCC plans and was able to make additional suggestions to the client to improve SPCC compliance.
Results
Apex coordinates with utility staff monthly and mobilizes to the sites to complete inspections in less than one week's time. The 16 sites are located in the northern half of Indiana, spanning the eastern and western borders of the state. Apex files hard copies of monthly SPCC inspections at all 16 facilities. At the conclusion of each inspection, Apex submits electronic copies to give remote facility managers real-time access to observations from the field. Additionally, Apex submits digital copies via a software communication tool the client has developed to track compliance.