United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region VI
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

On August 19, 2007, after heavy rains from remnants of Tropical Depression Erin flooded parts of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, several oil spills were reported to have occurred in the area.  Local media aired video of at least active oil spill flowing on flood waters from nearby Kingfisher Creek through the town of Kingfisher.  The media reported that the source of the spill may have originated from an oil pipeline.  Kingfisher Creek flows into the Cimarron River, which flows into the Arkansas River.

On August 20, 2007, EPA Region 6 mobilized OSC Franklin and the EPA Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) contractor to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to assess the reported oil spills and coordinate with FEMA and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ).

OSC Franklin, along with Bill Kropf (ODEQ Manager of Environmental Programs in Woodward, Oklahoma) and EPA START, conducted an extensive aerial reconnaissance of the Kingfisher, Oklahoma area.  The helicopter overflight originated from the Sundance Airpark northwest of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  During the overflight, EPA, ODEQ, and START observed areas upstream and downstream of the town of Kingfisher along Kingfisher Creek and Dead Indian Creek.  The aerial overflight investigated the site of the televised oil spill, as well as other industrial and oil storage facilities in the area.  The EPA/ODEQ team also observed removal activities being conducted at the site of the oil production spill west of Kingfisher.  The Kingfisher office of the Oklahoma Corporation Comission (OCC) has reported that the Responsible Party, TexStar, is conducting cleanup actions and that the OCC is providing oversight of remedial actions.

Minimal amounts of oil were observed in the areas surrounding the two points of release, one at the production tank battery approximately 1/4 mile west of Kingfisher and one at a manufacturing facility on the western city limits of Kingfisher.  The oil was contained in roadside ditches and adjacent pasture or city lots.  No pipeline break or discharge was noted. Contacts with several oil pipeline companies also indicated that there were no pipelines in the area of the oil spills.

There was no oil observed in Kingfisher Creek or Dead Indian Creek, either upstream or downstream of the spill sites.  The floodwaters had receded from the town of Kingfisher back into the banks of the creeks by the time of the helicopter overflight on Monday afternoon.  Both creeks appeared to have high water and were flowing heavily.          

Aerial Reconaissance was also performed on multiple sites within the town of Kingfisher that were known to have oil and hazardous materials on site.  None of these sites appeared to have any releases or potential of release associated with them.  Only four of these sites were potentially affected by the floodwaters.

EPA, ODEQ, and START will conduct a site visit on August 21, 2007 to determine the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), and to ensure appropriate clean up activities are being conducted. The team will conduct assessment and document impacts to surrounding properties and environment.

Although there were reports of a pipeline break and large oil spills in the flooded area of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, no such spills were observed by EPA, ODEQ and START.  Oil spills observed were localized and appeared to have had little to no affect on residential or industrial structures in the town of Kingfisher or on local waterways.