On February 11, 2008, Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) notifed the National Response Center (NRC) of a discharge from a 24-inch crude oil pipeline in Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky (NRC Report No. 862058). The pipeline was shutdown immediately after the release was initially detected on a farm along Tangleridge Lane in Clark County, Kentucky at approximately 9:30 a.m. on February 11, 2008. The oil was discovered to be exiting via a spring into an unnamed ditch, which subsequently drained through a farm pond and into a sinkhole, about 200 feet downstream of the pond. An immediate response by the Clark County Fire Department, the Clark County Road Department and Winchester-Clark County Emergency Management was effective at containing the spill in the ditch and pond and preventing it from entering the sinkhole. EPA Region 4 OSC Art Smith and the Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START) contractor TN & Associates were dispatched to investigate the extent of the oil spill and to document oil removal actions by MPL, who is the Responsible Party (RP).
MPL discovered that the leak originated along a weld in the pipeline and repairs were made, allowing the pipeline to resume normal operations on 02/13/08. However, visual examination of the repaired section on 02/14 revealed a minor leak, requiring the pipeline to shutdown again on 02/15/08. The affected section will be cut out and replaced, prior to resumption of pipeline operations. The US DOT Pipeline Safety and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHSMA) is monitoring the effectiveness of the repairs and is responsible for issuing approval to resume operations.
At the present time, the discharge of oil is contained to three properties immediately downgradient of the pipeline section where the release occurred. Although the initial NRC report indicated a potential release of 200 barrels of crude oil, MPL estimates that the total volume discharged to the environment is less than 70 barrels (approximately 3,000 gallons).
Based on all available information, EPA and KDEP do not consider that the oil discharge poses a threat to public health. Plans are in place to further investigate local water resources to evaluate effects of the oil spill on the environment. This work will be performed by MPL, under the direction of KDEP, who assumed lead agency responsibility for the response, effective 02/14/08.
