20260617-002 Spill Response Program Presentation — original pdf

Backup

Spill Response Program City of Austin Environmental Commission Presented by: Biz Yarbrough, Water Quality Compliance Austin Watershed Protection | June 17, 2026 Who is Water Quality Compliance? A field team of environmental regulators, emergency first responders, and pollution investigators that protect Austin surface water from polluting discharges through the application of water quality regulations and authority. 2 Water Quality Compliance Team, June 2026 3 4 What is the Spill Response Program? DETECT ELIMINATE 5 DETECT Monitor Sediment-laden water flows into storm drain 6 DETECT Monitor Call Intake 7 DETECT Monitor Call Intake Respond Water Quality Compliance collaborates on spill with Fire Department on South Lamar Bridge 8 DETECT Monitor Call Intake Respond Investigate Screenshot of map depicting water, sewer, stormwater infrastructure 9 DETECT Monitor Call Intake Respond Investigate Assess Water Quality Compliance uses a sonde to measure physical, chemical, and biological properties of water 10 ELIMINATE Intervene Timeout! 11 ELIMINATE Intervene Control & Contain Water Quality Compliance uses absorbent pads and booms to mitigate and minimize spill impacts 12 ELIMINATE Intervene Control & Contain Educate / Inform Water Quality Compliance provides technical advice 13 ELIMINATE Intervene Control & Contain Educate / Inform Direct Compliance Contractors work on remediating petroleum from a leaking underground storage tank, which was discovered through a spill investigation 14 ELIMINATE Intervene Control & Contain Educate / Inform Direct Compliance Enforce Water Quality Compliance issues written NOVs 15 Prioritization and Rapid Response The “Rolling Command Center” Trained Spill Responder Emergency Response Vehicle + = A powerful resource Emergency Response work truck 16 Where do we regulate? Anywhere within the Planning Jurisdiction (City Limits + ETJ) 17 Where do spills occur? 18 What types of pollutants do we find? Chemicals 5% Yard Wastes 2% Soaps 1% Sewage 28% Food Grease 5% Paint 5% Wastewater 8% Trash 9% Sediment 14% Petroleum 23% 19 Spill Response numbers • Investigate an average of 940 incidents each year • Direct mitigation of 16.1 million gallons of pollutants each year, on average • Oversee recovery of around 1,300 cubic yards of pollutants annually S T N E D C N I I # 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26 YEAR Emergency Non-Emergency 20 Why? So that… Austin waterways provide maximum benefit for all We meet obligations: • State and Federal Requirements • COA Emergency Operations Plan • Agreements / Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) Austin skyline overlooking Ladybird Lake 21 Report Pollution to 3-1-1 using Service Type “Environmental Spills” YouTube video “Report Water Pollution to 3-1-1” 22 Thank you!! Biz Yarbrough Environmental Compliance Specialist Senior Water Quality Compliance biz.yarbrough@austintexas.gov 23 POLLUTION  Cause a physical change  Cause a chemical change  Cause harm to humans or other organisms  Impair the usefulness or public enjoyment of the water Paint spill 24 DISCHARGE  “to deposit, conduct, drain, emit, throw, run, allow to seep, or otherwise release or dispose of, or to allow, permit, or suffer any of these acts or omissions.” An illicit discharge 25 DISCHARGE  “to deposit, conduct, drain, emit, throw, run, allow to seep, or otherwise release or dispose of, or to allow, permit, or suffer any of these acts or omissions.” Also an illicit discharge 26 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers Bull Creek in NW Austin 27 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers Boggy Creek in East Austin 28 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers A dry creek bed 29 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers Mueller Lake Park 30 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers Curb inlets drain to creeks 31 WATERS IN THE STATE  Channels – natural and man made  Dry beds and banks  Ponds – natural and man made  Storm sewers and structures attached to storm sewers Example of stormwater control measures 32