Edwardsville pipeline leaked an estimated 165K gallons of oil. Some flowed into a creek
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Attorney General to enforce cleanup and other action by energy company Marathon Pipe Line after an estimated 165,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from its pipeline in Edwardsville, some of which flowed into a creek, according to the state agency.
The oil leak started Friday morning in Edwardsville near Illinois 143 and Old Alton Edwardsville Road and entered Cahokia Creek, which is parallel to the pipeline.
The cause of the leak was not immediately clear. Marathon wrote in a statement that an investigation will be conducted.
The company stated that it shut down the pipeline when it detected the leak Friday morning and that cleanup efforts have been underway since. It added that no injuries have been reported, air monitoring has detected no hazardous level of emissions and no water intakes or private wells are located “in the immediate vicinity” of the leak.
Some wildlife has been affected, and experts are on site to treat them, according to Marathon. The company did not provide specific details about the amount of animals impacted by oil.
“The top priorities of the Edwardsville Response are to ensure the safety of responders, the community and to limit environmental impact as we respond to the release and conduct cleanup activities,” the company stated.
The city of Edwardsville announced at 11:45 a.m. Friday that its fire department and teams from the Madison County Emergency Management Agency, Madison County Hazmat, Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery and Marathon were all responding to the site of the oil leak. The National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency that investigates “hazardous pipeline events” and other issues, also said it sent a team of investigators to Edwardsville.
Residents reported a strong smell of gas, and the city said in an update Friday afternoon that the odor was a result of the leak.
By 5:30 p.m. Friday, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency provided the initial estimate that 3,000 barrels, or 165,000 gallons, of oil were released from the pipeline.
Marathon said about 2,200 barrels of spilled oil had been recovered as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The state EPA asked the Attorney General’s office to ensure that Marathon removes all oil in any affected waterway, assesses the pipeline and repairs it as necessary, investigates the extent of the spill to both soil and groundwater and submits and implements a corrective action plan as necessary.
Read the full statement from the energy company
The following is a statement provided by Marathon Pipe Line on Saturday evening:
“A Unified Command has been established to respond to the Edwardsville crude oil release. The Unified Command consists of representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Edwardsville Fire Department, and Marathon Pipe Line.
The Unified Command is responding to a release of crude oil near Edwardsville, Illinois, from a Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) pipeline.
Upon detecting the release Friday morning, March 11, MPL shut down the pipeline and deployed response resources.
Crude oil reached the Cahokia diversion channel, and MPL has deployed boom at eight locations along the channel to contain it.
No injuries have been reported.
There have been reports of odors near areas affected by the release, and MPL continues to deploy air monitoring in the area as a precaution. Air monitoring has detected no hazardous level of emissions.
There are no water intakes in the immediate vicinity of the release.
MPL is dedicating personnel and the following equipment to the Unified Command response, which are both on site and on the way:
- 8 skimmers: equipment that remove oil from water
- 42 vacuum trucks: equipment that removes oil and water
- 3 tanker trucks: to store oily water for proper disposal
- 6 excavation equipment: to expose the pipeline and remove contaminated soil
- More than 4,000 feet of boom: to contain the oil on the water
Unified Command is working with, and providing regular updates to, representatives from:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- The federal Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- The National Transportation Safety Board
- The U.S. Coast Guard
- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
- Edwardsville Fire Department
- Illinois Emergency Management Agency
- Madison County Emergency Management Agency
- Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources
Unified Command has identified some impacted wildlife that have been affected by oil and are being treated by experts on site. If any member of the public encounters wildlife that has been impacted by oil, they should not approach the animals themselves, as they could be dangerous. Please call Madison County, Illinois, Conservation Officer Robert Liebl at 618-444-1540.
The initial estimate is that approximately 3,000 barrels has spilled. This estimate is subject to revision as cleanup and repair activities continue.
As of 5:30 p.m. Central Time Saturday, March 12, approximately 2,200 barrels of oil have been recovered.
Unified Command’s top priorities are to ensure the safety of responders, the community and to limit environmental impact as we respond to the release and conduct cleanup activities.
An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the release.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 5:06 PM.
