 |
Gaviota
Terminal Abandonment - Project Chronology
Back to GTA Home
GTC facility fades into history
- As of September 22, looking east through the GTC site presents a wide open vista with only a few scraps of material awaiting stockpiling and offsite disposal. Any area that has been subject to demolition activities is being prepared for storm water and erosion control in anticipation of possible winter storms.
Typical ground cover to prevent soil erosion and possible spread of contamination is represented below.
|
All of the structures in the lower valley have been demolished. This is a view looking south east toward the ocean.
|
Demolition of the final tank, #54, the fire water storage tank, nears completion with only the floor remaining. This structure has been used historically for water storage so no contamination is expected to be discovered.
|
Facility demolition nears completion
-
As of September 17, much of the facility has been dismantled and trasnported offsite for recycling or disposal. The contractor has estimated that most of the major work will be completed by the end of next week, barring any unforseen complications. A few days of the following week may be needed to perform final clean-ups.
Soil stained areas of Tank 63 have been recovered and reinforced.
|
Tanks 51 and 52 have nearly been demolished.
|
Tanks 53 and 55, along with the associated above-ground pipe located nearby, are nearly complete as well, with only removal of stacked steel remaining to be done.
|
The small tank located to the south of 54, designated as a water tank was demolished earlier in the week. Evidence of crude oil leakage was detected under the center of the floor. Shell/Contractors indicate they will be covering this area with plastic and sand bags as soon as possible.
|
|
Tank 63 disappears from the horizon
- As of August 25, Tank 63 has disappeared from the horizon. Only the tank's concrete containment footing and central steel suction drain remain in place. Most of the steel elements have now been removed from the tank and exported from the site. Nearly all of the foam debris that has been shed in the process has now either been removed into covered bins or is neatly stockpiled ready for loading and removal. Several patches of petroleum contaminated soil were encountered during removal of the tank's steel floor. Those areas will be covered consistent with County requirements and be addressed during the subsequent site remediation process. Demolition of Tank 62 is also well underway.
Facility demolition progresses according to schedule
- Tank 63 has all but disappeared from the horizon. Most of the steel elements have now been removed from the tank and exported from the site. Nearly all of the foam debris that has been shed in the process has now either been removed into covered bins or is neatly stockpiled ready for loading and removal. Contractor representitives estimate that Tank 63 might be completely removed by the end of the week of August 16th. Demolition of Tank 62 is also well underway.
August 6, 2009 - Progress continues on facility demolition
- Demolition crews continue tearing down Tank 63. Much of the structural steel that once made up the floating and external roofs has been cut away and transported to a recycling facility. The foam coating that was earlier beyond the reach of ground equipment has been removed. Foam has largely been removed from the other storage tanks on site up to the level reachable by the contractor's equipment. The demolition contractor plans to soon mobilize additional demolition equipment on site and begin simultaneous demo of other features that now stand ready for removal.
July 29, 2009 - Demolition continues at the GTC terminal
- Substantial demolition work has taken place to date. Tanks 62 and 63 have been scraped clean of foam insulation up to about 50 feet (the limit of the reach of scraping equipment). Foam removal of Tank 51 is underway. A large entry panel was cut out of Tank 63 using torches, and an excavator equipped with a cutting shear now chews it's way methodically through panels of side wall, roof and floating roof elements. Subcontractors licensed to handle asbestos contamination were at work dismantling and cleaning contaminants from the pump building located in the main facilities area. See the following photos of the progress made. The map shows the location of the facilities referenced in the text.
July 24, 2009 - Tank demolition begins at the GTC Terminal
- Tank demolition began on July 21 and is expected to take from ten to twelve weeks to complete. In addition to the tanks, other above ground structures will also be removed including piping, pumps, a vapor recovery system and buildings. The following photos show first day activities. The foam insulation is being scraped from the oil tanks in preparation of cutting the steel into manageable pieces for transportation to a recycling facility. Steel cutting is scheduled to begin the week of July 26.
|
|
