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New Waverly Oil Spill 2024

 
Site Contact:
Randy Guidry
OSC

(guidry.randy@epa.gov)

Site Location:
108 Steward Road
New Waverly, TX 77358
response.epa.gov/NewWaverlyOilSpill2024

New Waverly Oil Spill 2024

On February 22, 2024, at 11:24 AM, the Texas Department of Emergency Management notified the US Environmental Protection Agency by email of a discharge of 500 barrels of crude oil from the Paleo Oil Company tank battery near New Waverly, Walker County, Texas. According to the Inspector with the Texas Railroad Commission, an electrical failure caused the overflow detection system to malfunction. The oil overflowed the tank battery containment and travelled approximately 0.2 miles to a farm pond. No discharge of water or oil from the pond occurred. If oil were to discharge from the farm pond, it would travel downgradient to East Sandy Creek, then to West fork of the San Jacinto River (a water of the US). The Responsible Party has three vacuum trucks, an excavator, and booms on the farm pond on-site. About 142 people live within a one-mile radius of the incident, with no Environmental Justice Indexes exceeding the 80th percentile.

EPA Actions and Roles:

EPA’s technical assistance contractor (START) was activated to observe, document and communicate to the EPA On-Scene Coordinator conditions at the site. The spill location is in the EPA Area of Responsibility; therefore, EPA is the lead agency.