On June 12, 2025, the National Response Center (NRC) received
a call from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District reporting an oil spill
in Kingsbury Run, which is a tributary to the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland,
OH. Initially, EPA & US Coast Guard
(USCG) responded with USCG leading response efforts. Booming was conducted by USCG at multiple
locations & product recovery via drum skimmer was undertaken. USCG has collected fingerprint samples of the
oil in Kingsbury Run & at an additional location upgradient of Kingsbury
Run. The results of the fingerprinting
indicated at least two distinct types of oil & the sources ultimately could
not be identified by USCG. Additionally,
USCG analyzed samples collected from Kingsbury Run for poly-chlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), the results were positive for Aroclor 1254.
USCG has requested that EPA conduct further investigation
into the source of the spill. Initial
field observations suggest that there may be multiple, co-mingled sources of
oil & PCBs, potentially from multiple land-based non-point sources. EPA during the initial phase of the
investigation, has identified multiple Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program (VAP)
sites located up-gradient of Kingsbury Run.
As part of the ongoing investigation, EPA initially will collect surface
water samples from Kingsbury Run (for PCB analysis), product samples for
fingerprinting from Kingsbury Run, & adjacent land-based samples for
fingerprinting & PCB analysis. The
investigation will involve review of historical Sanborn maps and aerial photos
to identify oil-refining related infrastructure used in that area.