We now discover leaks and spills by accident or when they become critical. With the lack of monitoring, and the resultant leaks, almost every well house in Prudhoe Bay is now truly a Documented contaminated site. All of our contract spill responders have been moved to the EOA also. Most of our WOA ERT Members are Operations and Maintenance Staff who cannot respond to an emergency because their first priority is to control and care for their own areas during an emergency. Our ability to respond to an emergency at Alyeska Pump Station One as required, with enough personnel to prevent a major fire or spill is in serious doubt.
Mechanical integrity is a major concern.
Our emergency shutdown systems are unreliable, and have no integrity. There has been no preventative maintenance program on these safety systems and equipment for some time. We now employ procedures that include closing additional valves during emergencies instead of repairing the Safety Valves that leak. With our numbers so reduced, the integrity of these systems is even more vital to our survival during a major fire or blowout. Every single Production Well Pad has SDVs that leak badly.