On July 11, 2018 a notification of a crude oil discharge was received by the EPA Phone Duty Officer from the Alabama Oil and Gas Board. The cause of the discharge is thought to be due a failed automatic overfill shutoff system. The automatic pump did not shut-off and overfilled the onsite storage tanks. The two storage tanks had a total capacity of 800 barrels. Approximately 500 barrels of crude was contained by the fire wall and approximately 300 barrels flowed over land and into an agricultural treeline drainage pathway. The adjacent forest service road acted as primary containment preventing the oil from reaching nearby Pond Creek which was approximately 50 feet due east.. There are no drinking water impacts. The Escambia County EMA and Alabama Oil and Gas Board were on scene. Alabama Department of Environmental Management personnel have been coordinating with EPA’s Phone Duty Officer and responding OSC. A START contractor was mobilized to the scene to support the EPA’s response efforts.
