Oil spill cleanup continues at village park lake in Marine
Leaders in the village of Marine believe it will take another two weeks for a crew to finish cleaning the oil spill at the Marine Heritage Park lake.
A spill was first detected in an oil field north of Marine on April 19 and the spill was being contained by a series of three dams and vacuum trucks, according to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Kim Biggs.
However, during a “large” rainstorm on April 25, an estimated five barrels, or 210 gallons of crude oil flowed into the park lake, Biggs said in an email to the BND.
A combination of salt water and oil leaked from the oil field when a pipeline broke.
An estimated 40 barrels, or 1,680 gallons, of crude oil and 350 barrels, or 14,700 gallons, of salt water spilled after the pipe broke. The salt water and the crude oil traveled across a farm field, into a tributary to Marine Creek, and then into Marine Creek, Biggs said.
Kimrose Operating Co. is the company that runs the oil field, according to Illinois Emergency Management Agency records. A company representative declined to comment Friday.
Investigators do not know why the pipeline broke, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which is also investigating the spill.
Another company has been hired to clean up the spill, village leaders said.
Village Board member Mark Voigt described the spill as “minor.” Mayor John Molitor said the oil field is less than a half mile from the park lake.
Feller Oilfield Service of St. Elmo is conducting the cleanup, said Dane Feller, president of the company.
Feller said a “very, very small” amount of oil leaked into the lake.
“They’re doing a wonderful job getting it cleaned up,” Voigt said.
The park and lake have remained open while the cleanup is underway.
Rachel Torbert, spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, said the agency is not aware of any wildlife impact at this time.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 1:03 PM.
