Oil Discharge Contingency Plans (ODCPs)
A response plan for facilities that store significant volumes of oil
Facilities storing larger volumes of oil in Virginia may need an oil discharge contingency plan describing how a discharge would be contained and cleaned up. Colman Engineering prepares ODCPs that document your facility's oil storage, potential discharge scenarios, and the response resources and procedures in place. The plan is built to help your team act quickly and confidently if a discharge ever occurs.
Benefits
Oil Discharge Contingency Plans (ODCPs)
A clear response when minutes matter
An ODCP spells out who does what if a discharge happens, from first containment to notification. Having that laid out in advance helps your team respond without scrambling.
Built to support state requirements
We prepare ODCPs around Virginia's oil discharge contingency planning requirements so your facility can meet its obligations for larger oil storage.
Tailored to your storage setup
We document your specific tanks, volumes, and site layout rather than relying on a generic plan. That specificity makes the plan genuinely useful in a real event.
From storage inventory to a ready-to-use response plan
We review your oil storage, facility layout, and the pathways a discharge could take toward water or drainage. We then document containment measures, response procedures, notification steps, and the resources available to respond. The finished ODCP gives your team a clear playbook, and we can help you keep it current as tanks or operations change. Where it overlaps with SPCC planning, we coordinate the two so they work together.
Use Cases
An ODCP generally applies to facilities storing oil above certain thresholds in Virginia.
01
You store oil above regulatory thresholds
Your aggregate oil storage reaches the level where an ODCP is required. We prepare a plan scoped to your facility.
02
A discharge could reach state waters
Your site's layout means a discharge could travel toward a stream, drainage, or waterway. An ODCP documents how you'd contain and respond to that.
03
You're updating an aging plan
Your storage or operations have changed since your last plan. We can bring the ODCP current so it matches your facility today.
Tips and FAQs
An ODCP works alongside, but isn't identical to, a federal SPCC plan, and facilities often need both; we coordinate them so they're consistent. The plan's value depends on staff knowing it and response resources actually being in place, so implementation matters as much as the document. Thresholds and requirements can be specific, and we're glad to help you confirm whether your facility falls under them.
How is an ODCP different from an SPCC plan?
An SPCC plan is a federal requirement focused on preventing discharges, while an ODCP is a Virginia requirement focused on responding to them. Many facilities need both, and we coordinate them so they align.
Does my facility need an ODCP?
It depends on your oil storage volumes and site conditions. We can help you determine whether your facility meets the thresholds that trigger the requirement.
How often should the plan be updated?
The plan should reflect your current storage and operations, so significant changes are a good trigger to revisit it. We can help you keep it current.
Can you prepare both my ODCP and SPCC?
Yes. Preparing them together lets us keep the two plans consistent and avoid duplicated effort, which is often the most efficient approach.
