The Best Way to Contain and Clean Up Oil Spills In The Rain

Drip. Slosh. Drop. Plop. Has this become a familiar sound? You may recognize it if you work around heavy machinery, transformers, or in any mobile outdoor environment. These industries are no stranger to oil leaks and spills. Even small spills can present big issues. Problems can range from slip and fall hazards to environmental concerns.

Whether it’s a major spill or a persistent leak, discharged oil can create an environmental catastrophe. We usually hear about the large 168,000 gallon spills like the 2014 Galveston Oil Spill or the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident. But, unreported small leaks and spills that occur over time have the most significant impact on our environment.

Of the tens of millions of gallons of oil that enter our waters every year, only 8% is due to tanker or pipeline spills! The other 92% is mostly due to persistent leaks or operator error. Most of these contaminants enter our environment from industrial and commercial facilities. Then, they threaten our health and safety.

Transformers are another common place to have spill containment needs. They’re often prone to oil leaks caused by deteriorating gaskets or holes in the radiator fin or steel tank. Many oil leaks can be due to degraded engine gaskets, oil pans, overfill, oxidized fittings, holes in hoses, or seal incompatibility. They’re virtually any place that requires oil and fuel to operate.

There are several possible sources of oil discharge. But, most are slow and persistent oil leaks rather than massive spills. Most of the time, you see oil spills, but these slow drips can often go undetected.

One of the telltale signs of oil or fuel leaks is the dreaded rainbow. This rain stain is usually found on asphalt or concrete when it comes into contact with water. If you discover a rainbow around your existing sorbents, it sure isn’t going to lead to a pot of gold. Your current sorbents are not doing their job, and that costs you money.

Regardless of the source of the leak, your job is to keep them under control and contain them before they spread. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires worksite operators to have an SPCC (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure) plan to prevent oil and fuel discharge. Unfortunately, SPCC plans can be complicated, so we wanted to offer a few tips to perfect your own SPCC plan:

When the first step of oil remediation is to control and contain the oil—that can make for an impossible situation. Many spill control products are not designed for outdoor conditions where rain and moisture are common factors. It’s like expecting a compact sedan to compete with a four-wheel-drive in muddy terrain. It’s not going to happen.

Traditional sorbents may work well in controlled conditions, but when is any situation ideal? You need sorbents engineered to stand up to the rigors of the great outdoors, not just the factory floor. How well do your sorbents perform in rain?

It may be hard to believe, but people are still trying to clean up these oily messes with old-fashioned sorbents! We’ve evolved leaps and bounds in other forms of technology. We’ve replaced our beloved but behemoth 1980’s mobile phones with streamlined, handheld computers. We’ve developed a way to see the person we’re talking to on the other end, in real-time! We finally figured out a way to fast-forward through those endless commercials to watch our favorite shows. So, why are people still using outdated spill control technology from 30 years ago?

Are you one of those people that feel stuck with ineffective materials that simply don’t work? Have you been experiencing some of the same spill control problems, year after year?

Traditional spill cleanup materials are inadequate in wet weather. Water saturates clay pellets and grey spill pads, leaving no room for oil to be absorbed. And white spill pads aren’t much better. Water beads up on the white pad’s exterior and forms a barrier that prevents oil from penetrating. Bottom line, you use 3-20x more in material, labor, and disposal costs than you had planned. Plus, if the spill gets out of control and runs into waterways—you’re in deep trouble. Would you rather contain the spill? Or call in emergency response?

Would you like a better way to manage your outdoor maintenance of leaky machines, pipes, and equipment? 

We knew there was a big problem one day when we happened to be dumpster diving. Ok, that sounds worse than what it was. We were performing a spill control audit for a customer. So, we ended up in the dumpster to monitor the amount of waste their sorbents produced.

We came across spill control materials that contained only about 30% oil. The materials were tossed because they were coated with water. That was alarming. Their current absorbents were accounting for 70% of waste. As we completed more audits, we discovered that this company wasn’t the only one with this problem.

After being asked countless times why traditional, white oil-only spill pads didn’t work in wet weather, we decided to do something about it. An understanding of physics, some industry knowledge, and an insatiable desire to “fix what’s broken” led us to find the solution.

We didn’t hire an outside company to begin the lengthy process of building a prototype. We didn’t waste time on endless meetings and box-checking. We went on a scavenger hunt to find materials that would work. The answer was out there somewhere. We just had to find it.

We came across a post-consumer material that people were paying to get rid of! So, we cobbled up our prototype and tried it out. Eureka! We found the solution, and Spilltration was born.

We’ve developed these reusable products from environmentally responsible materials headed to a landfill, reducing our customers’ carbon footprints. We used materials that can be squeezed out and reused up to 10 times, preventing unnecessary waste. Our customers spend 4x-7x less on average with Spilltration® Products than they did with their wasteful and outdated sorbents. And ours are proudly made here in the USA!

We took lightweight, ergonomic materials and designed them in a way that provides 3-10x faster deployment. Meaning you can stop the spill from reaching waterways even faster!

After the spill comes the cleanup, we’ve developed reusable materials that effectively clean contaminated surfaces and structures, saving you time and money.

We understand why effective spill control is so essential for your business. You can’t afford to shut down operations due to an oil leak or spill. A sustainable response strategy will save you on paperwork, legal fees, fines, material costs, labor hours, and production time. Not to mention, it will create a safer workplace and environment to leave your kids.

We believe it’s time for effective spill control. If you store, transport, or otherwise handle oil, we have your solution. We want to help you minimize waste and maximize efficiency. It’s better for the environment and your bottom line.

If you have any questions on finding the right spill control products to meet your needs, our Customer Success Team is available by chat or by phone at 814-822-2004.

For more oil spill containment training, be sure to check out our new “In the Trenches” Video Training Series. Our first course, Controlling Oil Spills on Land, is now available. Signup today – it’s free to enroll.