U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

UCGPE24618 - Martin Operating Partnership Crude Oil Pipeline Spill

 
Site Contact:
Alejandro Lara Jr.
OSC

(lara.alejandro@epa.gov)

Site Location:
Smackover, AR 71762
 response.epa.gov/MartinOilPipelineSpill
NRC#: 1401995

On June 15, 2024, at 3 PM, the EPA was notified by the National Response Center (NRC) of a discharge of estimated 2000 barrels, updated to 2,500 barrels on June 25, 2024, of crude oil from the Martin Operating Partners Facility, Smackover, AR. According to the NRC report, the spill leaked from  a manifold causing oil to spill over land, into a natural drainage that leads into Holmes creek, which connects to Smackover creek, which connects to Ouachita River which is the Waters of the United States. The spill is a major discharge as defined in § 300.5 of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Within a 1-mile radius of the incident location, there are 3 Environmental Justice Indexes that exceed the 80th percentile (State, USA) and a population of approximately 1,367. 

Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, Arkansas Dept of Emergency Management, and Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission are responding to the spill.

On June 17, 2024, OSC Lara was activated to conduct preliminary assessment and to provide oversight of the RP’s cleanup operations. The oil spill originated from an underground 8-inch transfer pipeline, originally reported as 6-inch, approximately 110 feet from a manifold. The spill location is in the EPA Area of Responsibility; therefore, EPA is the lead agency.

 Click here to view the StoryMap.

 


Drum skimmer along with Hard and Sorbent boom along creek Hard boom utilized along creek Underflow dam at confluence of Holmes and Smackover Creek. Rows of sorbent boom and hard boom within Smackover Creek. Sorbent boom and sorbent pom poms within drainage downstream of spill origin. Sorbent pads and boom with crude oil and hard boom within creek. Drum skimmer staged within creek with hard boom. Drum skimmer at collection location. Recovery location with hard and sorbent boom. Hard and sorbent boom within creek containing crude oil. Crude oil trapped within vegetation. Daily health and safety meeting and operations briefing with EPA, START, and U.S. Coast Guard. Hard and sorbent boom within Smackover Creek at furthest extent of crude oil. Hard and sorbent boom within Smackover Creek at furthest extent of crude oil. Underflow dam at confluence of Holmes and Smackover Creek. Hard and sorbent boom downstream of underflow dam. Underflow dam at confluence of Holmes and Smackover Creek. FOSC Lara speaking with media. EPA OSC inspecting hard boom. Hard and sorbent boom in Holmes Creek Oil recovery location - drum skimmer in Holmes Creek east of Kenova Rd. Oil recovery location - drum skimmer in Holmes Creek at Welsco Rd bridge. Oil recovery location - drum skimmer in Holmes Creek, north of Welsco Rd. Oil recovery location - drum skimmer at metal bridge north of Welsco Rd. Oil recovery location - drum skimmers at end of spill pathway. Sorbent and hard boom at bridge recovery location. Sorbent and hard booms at bridge. Oil impacted creek banks. Sorbent, pom poms, and hard booms within Smackover Creek. Visit from the Directors of ADEE Visit from the Directors of ADEE New recovery location as of 6/23/2024 Oil Recovery Operations Recovery oversight Sorbent boom and underflow dam Vegetation clearing Equipment Decontamination Area Oil recovery by weir skimmer Boat operations with EPA and ADEQ to assess Smackover Creek. EPA FOSC and ADEQ OSC assessing Smackover Creek. Boat operations with EPA and ADEQ to assess Smackover Creek. Crude oil within Holmes Creek at bridge. Crude oil within Holmes Creek at bridge. Drum skimmer and hard boom within Holmes Creek. Crude oil within Holmes Creek. Drum skimmers, hard boom, and sorbent booms within Holmes Creek. Hard and sorbent boom within Holmes Creek Hard boom and pom pom sorbent at furthest. Crude oil in Smackover Creek. Furthest extent of crude oil spill. Clean-up crew in a boat with a water hose pushing crude oil to booms. Furthest extent of spill pathway. EPA OSC and EPA START assessing recovery operations within creek. EPA OSC assessing drum skimming operations within creek. Impacted creek with drum skimmer operating. Recovery operations utilizing vacuum trucks at bridge. OSC EPA assessing impacted creek. Spill origin. Manifold adjacent to spill origin location. Hard and sorbent boom at metal bridge north of Welsco Rd. View of recovery location #3 via a drum skimmer within Smackover Creek. View of the spill extent within Smackover Creek. View of hard and absorbent boom deployed within Holmes Creek before the confluence of Smackover Creek in background. View of recovery location #1 via a drum skimmer within Holmes Creek. View of recovery location #4 via a drum skimmer within Holmes Creek. View of recovery location #4, CTEH is conducting air monitoring of VOCs, H2S, and benzene. View of crude oil in Holmes Creek from a bridge crossing.
For additional information, visit the Notices section.