United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IV
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

On 1/26/2005 at approximately 0100 hrs., a 22-inch pipeline owned by Mid-Valley Pipeline (MVPL) ruptured and released an estimated 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 16 miles upstream of the confluence with the Ohio River.  Art Smith of the EPA Region 4 Louisville, KY Outpost Office is the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) for this incident.        

On 02/02/05, MVPL updated the volume of oil discharged as approximately 1,960 barrels or over 83,000 gallons.  Of this amount, about 50,000 gallons has been recovered to date.   Although cleanup operations will continue until shoreline areas have been addressed, no further updates on product recovery are planned until demobilization is complete.

Effective 02/07/05, the Unified Command (UC) has determined that the emergency response phase of the incident has concluded and long-term recovery operations have begun.

Current status of federal resources deployed to the incident are as follows:

EPA Region 4 - 1 OSC
EPA contractors (START) - 2
USCG GST - 3
NOAA - 1
U.S. Fish & Wildlife - 1

Weather is rainy with temperatures in the 50s.  Up to 3/4 inches of rainfall is predicted for the region through 02/08/05.  

Oil product recovery operations on the Kentucky River were completed over the weekend.  Booms remain at Point Park upstream of the confluence of the Ohio River solely for debris collection and removal.  Decon facilities constructed at this location are expected to remain in operation through the week of 02/07/05.

Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Team (SCAT) recon of the Ohio River is complete from Carrollton (MM546) to "Eighteen Mile Island" (MM586).  Based on SCAT findings reported on 02/06/05, a cleanup crew was dispatched today to recover a minor quantity of accumulated black oil at a natural collection point on 18 Mile Island.

Overflights conducted today along the Ohio River disclosed the presence of a minor quantity of recoverable oil along the Indiana shoreline at or near MM598.  SCAT on-water recon activities will progress further downstream to this point to more precisely quantify the aerial  observations of spilled oil at this location.

A seven day operational period has been established effective as of 0600 hrs. on 02/08/05 .  During this period, the following activities are planned:

- Complete shoreline assessment on impacted areas of the Ohio River; re-survey areas of the KY River impacted by the breach of oil containment occurring on 01/31/05.

- Complete removal of minor quantities of oil accumulation along the Ohio River.

- Begin and complete shoreline cleanup along the 16 mile impacted stretch of the Kentucky River.  Observations made thus far by SCAT are that shoreline impacts along this reach are minimal.

- Begin shoreline cleanup along the Ohio River.  Observations made thus far by SCAT are that shoreline impacts are extensive in certain areas along a 50 mile stretch downstream of Carrollton.

EPA plans to demobilize all USCG GST and START contractor resources by 02/09/05.  NOAA and USFWS will remain involved in SCAT oversight of shoreline removal operations through the week of 02/07/05.

The EPA OSC expects to transition the lead agency role from EPA to KYDEP effective 02/15/05.

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