Summit County outlines response to I‑80 gasoline tanker rollover that spilled about 11,300 gallons

Nathan Brooks, an environmental health staffer with Summit County Health Department, told the Board of Health that a fully loaded tanker rolled on Oct. 10 between Echo and Hennepar and released "just under 11,300 gallons of refined gasoline fuel," causing a driver fatality and forcing closures of both directions of I‑80 and temporary suspension of nearby Union Pacific rail service.

Brooks said first responders prioritized scene safety and that the fumes and configuration of the damaged tanks made offloading the fuel impractical. "We couldn't get to the valving with the gravity," he said, describing why crews could not simply drain the tanks at the roadside. Multiple hazmat contractors and both local fire districts responded, and crews applied absorbents and PFOS‑free firefighting foam on site.

The cleanup shifted to excavation and sampling after the initial scene was secured. Brooks described a series of excavations beginning in late October that removed hundreds of cubic yards of contaminated soil. He said groundwater was encountered at roughly 10 feet in the excavation area, and crews pumped and skimmed contaminated groundwater off the site. The department is planning to install groundwater monitoring wells and is using an in‑situ activated enzyme treatment to reduce petroleum hydrocarbons in soil and water.

Brooks also described a jurisdictional dispute between the Utah Department of Transportation and Union Pacific over ownership of the right‑of‑way where the truck came to rest. He said the disagreement briefly slowed contractors’ access but that Union Pacific ultimately asserted control and used their preferred remediation contractors.

Board members sought details about cost recovery and enforcement. Phil of the health department said the department has updated practices to recover costs from responsible parties and insurers where possible; he added that, "this costs the county nothing" in direct dollar outlays for this incident while noting the substantial staff time the response required.

Brooks told the board the department has requested after‑action meetings with partners to review performance and identify improvements. He described the cleanup as one of the largest incidents he has worked on and praised the coordination among local and state agencies.

Next steps include continued groundwater monitoring, laboratory confirmation of residual contaminant levels and follow‑up sampling to ensure site conditions meet Division of Water Quality cleanup standards. The Board of Health did not take formal action during the presentation.