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 was along the north bank of the river at a point about 16 miles upstream of the confluence with the Ohio River. The spill polluted over 60 miles of surface water and shoreline from Carrollton, KY to Louisville, KY. Removal activities were conducted by MVPL, under the oversight of EPA and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KYDEP).
EPA was onscene from 01/26 until 02/14. Response actions completed on the Kentucky River on 02/10 rendered it clean, as agreed to by the Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Team (SCAT), comprised of reps from NOAA, US DOI, KYDEP and MVPL. Based on the findings of the 02/14-02/15 recon of river conditions, the OSC determined that the oil spill response was complete, pursuant to Section 300.320(b) of the NCP.
On 3/18/05, MVPL further updated the quantity of oil discharged as 6,251 barrels (over 260,000 gallons).