EPA issued an emergency order to the USAF to enhance and expedite measures to address an ongoing oil discharge into Union Creek from the Travis AFB. EPA has determined that a substantial threat exists to local waterbodies and shorelines because of the ongoing discharge and previous similar incidents on Travis AFB. The order, issued under the CWA, compels the AF to mitigate the oil discharge. The order also requires the AF to enter into a unified command structure that brings together the oil spill response expertise of federal, state and local governments to address the discharge.
Oil discharges to Union Creek from Travis AFB were first identified by the AF as early as October 2021, but were not reported to EPA or the National Response Center until February 2022. Since that time, the AF has made numerous notifications to the National Response Center regarding an oil sheen on Union Creek, including reporting a spill of jet fuel from a pipeline on the base on August 2022. These spill notifications have continued to occur in 2023. The AF has yet to take action to identify and address the source of the oil discharge to Union Creek. The initial oil spill response efforts implemented by the AF at Travis AFB were limited, and these efforts were only upgraded after input from EPA and the CA DFW Office of Spill Prevention and Response.