Savannah River Spill; Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia | 1998-Jan-29

Initial Notification: MSO Savannah contacted the NOAA SSC at about 1800, January 29, 1998, to discuss a situation to which they were responding. During some excavation behind a bulkhead along the Savannah River, oil-saturated sediment was found. The bulkhead was at the Georgia Ports Authority, Ocean Terminal Facility near the Talmadge Bridge that spans the river from Georgia to South Carolina. The area of saturated oily sediment was estimated to be 200 feet x 100 feet x 20 feet deep. The USCG estimated that there were 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of oily liquid behind the bulkhead with perhaps 2,000 to 4,000 gallons being pure oil. USCG district 7. Keyword: boom, excavation/construction, oily sediment, skimmers.