The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) wishes to update the public on the gasoline spill that occurred at the RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd facility, Ferry Reach on 27 March 2017. 

Monitoring from the four new monitoring wells in addition to the many existing wells has helped to define the extent of the spill, which consists of:

• ‘Liquid Plume’ floating on the groundwater some 70 feet below grade level,
• ‘Vapour Plume’ of gasoline fumes above the water table within the limestone and
• ‘Dissolved Plume’ of more water-soluble components in the gasoline that are dissolved in the groundwater. 

All plumes appear to be contained under the RUBiS site. The strategy to recover the liquid and vapour plume is currently well established using the six recently drilled vapour extraction recovery wells in addition to other suitably-located existing wells.  Evidence points to the vacuum extraction having the desired result of limiting the plume to the confines of the RUBiS site.

To date, the Soil Vacuum Extraction system has been operating daily since 1 April with the exception of six days in May due to a technical problem. The recovered vapour/liquid product from these operations is about 7.6% of the original volume of the spill as of 5 June.  This recovery rate is typical and suggests that the active clean-up operations will be expected to extend out several years, with monitoring beyond this period.

Government contracted a U.S. consultant, Dr. John Wilson, with considerable experience of managing solvent and fuel spill cleanup operations of the ground and groundwater and who was previously employed as a Technical Expert in this role by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Dr. Wilson visited the RUBiS site in early May with personnel from the Pollution Control Section of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The purpose of Government contracting a consultant was to understand whether the cleanup operations being performed by RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd and their contracted cleanup engineers, Arcadis US Inc., met internationally acceptable standards and whether they were being provided in a timely manner.

The Trip Report from Dr. Wilson to Government highlighted that ‘Based on [his] experience with the state agencies in the USA that regulate fuel spills, the response provided by Department of the Environment and Natural Resources and by RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd was equivalent to the response that would have been provided by the best of the state agencies in the USA when the state agencies in the USA were acting under the best of conditions. The state agencies in the USA would have taken the same approach for risk management as was taken by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources and by RUBiS Energy Bermuda Limited.’  

Although RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd initially notified the regulator 24 hours later than required, the consultant considered that the implementation of the Soil Vacuum Extraction system within five days of the spill to start the recovery operation and to help limit the spread of the spill was a “timely and appropriate” response to the spill.  Furthermore, monitoring all existing and newly drilled wells, including off-site private wells, on a daily basis started within two days of the spill has helped define the extent of the liquid plume, vapour plume and dissolved plume.  Other cleanup and monitoring recommendations provided by Dr. Wilson are currently being considered by DENR for discussion with RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd. Further to additional assessment by RUBiS, DENR expects an additional strategy to recover the dissolved plume from the groundwater. 

RUBiS Energy Bermuda Ltd submitted a Limited Site Assessment report (LSA) on 2 June 2017, per Government’s guidelines.  The purpose of the LSA was to provide an assessment of the site and to characterise the risk posed to the public and the environment.  This report and the subsequent Remedial Action Plan (RAP) will also be reviewed by DENR personnel and Government’s consultant, Dr Wilson, to ensure that the effects of the spill remain isolated below the RUBiS site and do not affect any off-site resources such as private wells. This review by Government will continue until the spill is fully remediated. 

Monthly updates on progress will be provided to the public by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.