County emergency management outlines EPA spill response and plans radiological annex to EOP
Summary
Ross County emergency management updated the board on recent spill responses — including a Maple Grove incident that impacted North Fork Creek — and said staff will add a radiological-response annex to the county Emergency Operations Plan and pursue LEPC grant funding.
Ross County’s emergency management office told commissioners on Jan. 5 that personnel responded with EPA to multiple incidents in December, including a ruptured tank on US 50/35 that lost 75–100 gallons of diesel and a larger spill at Maple Grove that affected North Fork Creek.
Speaker 9 said crews, assisted by EPA, deployed booms and contained roughly 95% of the spill before it reached Paint Creek; rain later complicated containment efforts. The county worked on-site over multiple days with EPA and local responders.
Speaker 9 also reported that exercises were held in December with federal and regional partners, and noted the LEPC grant application is due Feb. 1 and will be submitted shortly. Cash-reimbursement cycles for existing grants were discussed; the speaker said reimbursements are expected in March and that grant totals have generally declined since the COVID period.
Because of proximity to regional facilities and contractor activity, Speaker 9 said the county will add a radiological-response annex to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and incorporate information from diffusion plans and DOE coordination. The annex will be part of an upcoming EOP update.
Ending
Emergency-management staff will submit the LEPC grant application and complete the radiological annex to the EOP during the EOP update; commissioners were informed that the office will continue coordinating with EPA and regional partners on spill response and exercises.
