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On 1/26/2005 at approximately 0100 hrs., a 22-inch pipeline owned by Mid-Valley Pipeline ruptured and released 1500 barrels (over 60,000 gallons) of crude oil into the Kentucky River (NRC# 748277). The location of the break is along the north bank of the river at a point about 15 miles upstream of the confluence with the Ohio River. OSC Smith of the EPA Region 4 Louisville, KY Outpost Office and the USCG MSO Louisville were notified of the incident by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KYDEP) by 0700 hrs., and were onscene by 0900 hrs. Given that the spill was classified as a major oil discharge under the National Contingency Plan (NCP), the EPA OSC arranged for the following additional resources to be mobilized to the scene:
- EPA Environmental Response Team (ERT) and an EPA Region 5 OSC to assist in monitoring Responsible Party (RP) cleanup operations.
- Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START) contractors to document the response to the incident.
In addition, the EPA OSC placed a verbal task order with the Emergency Response and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contractor (CMC, Inc.) to supplement the cleanup resources which had been ordered by the RP. The OSC communicated to the RP rep onscene at the time the resources were ordered that a limited federal activation of cleanup resources was required given the time-critical task of containing the oil spill. As of 1/27/2005, at 0000 hrs., EPA will release the ERRS contractor, and the RP will pick up responsibility for this resource.
By 1300 hrs. the leading edge of the oil slick was observed to have traveled over 10 river miles from the leak site, and efforts were focused on establishing containment of the oil spill at Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Kentucky River. While the lock structure is no longer in operation, this location represented an access point and flow condition which would facilitate collection of oil product at a control point about 3 miles upstream of the Ohio River. By 1900 hrs., containment at this location was effective through the installation of over 200 feet of boom configured strategically to prevent the further migration of oil product.
On 1/26/2005, the Natural Resource Trustee agencies responding to the incident reported that approximately 75-80 geese were observed to have landed in the oil slick. 1 Canadian goose was recovered by the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), and transported for rehabilitation by qualified personnel. No other impacts to natural resources (e.g., fish kills, etc.) attributed to this incident have been reported to date.
Potential impacts to public drinking water intakes are not suspected at this time, unless a significant discharge to the Ohio River takes place. The nearest drinking water intake is located in Louisville, KY, approximately 40 miles downstream of the final collection point established in the Kentucky River.
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