The Accuworx Open water spill response team was activated last week to assist in the recovery of a hydraulic oil release into the French River. Accuworx responded to the incident with their river boom deployment boat, 1000 feet of river boom, multiple vac trucks and crew. The condition of the river was a concern, as river currents were very strong. Successful booming of the impact was achieved after securing an ice covered bay for the site of product recovery. Ice was broken up with use of prop wash and picks. Weather conditions were into the -20C region. Full survival suits and PPE were worn to ensure the safety of the crew. Product recovery was made difficult due to the high lift required by the vac truck. The rock face was a 200 foot vertical lift and another 100 foot horizontal pull. The 6400 cfm Accuworx Super Vac achieved recovery while maintaining no frozen hoses thanks to a few of the crews cold water vac tricks. The recovery was a success. Multiple bags of impacted ice and 18000L of impacted water was recovered. The river was returned to its natural state and a timely demob ensued.
