On Jan. 20, 2025, at 7:54 p.m., the EPA was notified by the
National Response Center of a discharge of 500 barrels of fuel from a pipeline
in Corpus Christi, Texas, in Nueces County. According to the responsible party
(RP), Flint Hills Resources, the spill resulted from a transmission line
failure. The spill was initially reported as diesel fuel, but was later
confirmed to be Jet A fuel. The spill entered a wet ditch that empties to
Corpus Christi Bay. The RP began recovery operations at about 4 p.m. on Jan.
20, 2025, using a vacuum truck and installing sorbent and hard booms along the
wet ditch to contain the diesel. An earthen berm provided an additional barrier
to the diesel entering the turning basin of Corpus Christi Bay. The U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) Sector Corpus Christi reported a small sheen entering Corpus
Christi Bay, which was recovered. Most of the spilled fuel has been recovered.
USCG served as the First Federal Official and coordinated
response objectives with the Inland Area Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC)
until the EPA arrived on scene on the afternoon of Jan. 23, 2025. The EPA is
coordinating response actions with the RP, USCG, and TCEQ. The EPA will
continue monitoring the RP’s efforts to secure, contain, and clean up the
spill. As the spill occurred in the EPA Area of Responsibility, the EPA is
serving as the lead agency.
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