For press inquiries, please contact Rachel Linduska, U.S. EPA Public Affairs Officer, at Linduska.Rachel@epa.gov.
Updates
March 18
Air monitoring at the site has
been limited due to rain and inclement weather. After today, U.S. EPA will
suspend air monitoring since all pooled oil has been recovered from the
wetland. Marathon will continue air monitoring until all work adjacent to the spill site is complete.
EPA will provide air monitoring support if any odor complains are received or
if Marathon air monitoring detects anything above action levels.
Marathon has recovered 17,765
barrels of oil/water mix and 5,320 cubic yards of suspected contaminated
material.
March 17
U.S. EPA continues to conduct
air monitoring.
Marathon has recovered 15,659
barrels of oil/water mixture and 3,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
March 16
U.S. EPA continues to conduct
air sampling and monitoring. Low level detections of benzene were found in the
wetland area near the spill. EPA also received an odor complaint from residents
nearby and conducted air monitoring around the home.
Marathon continues to collect
oil. So far, 14,270 barrels of oil/water mixture have been recovered and 2,240
cubic yards of soil have been excavated. Cleanup is ongoing along the
creek/canal. Marathon continues maintenance and cleaning of boom deployed in
the creek.
EPA attended the Edwardsville city council meeting on March
15.
March 15
U.S. EPA continues to conduct air sampling and monitoring.
To date, Marathon has collected
approximately 11,075 barrels of oil/water mixture and about 518 barrels of oil
from the pipeline.
Marathon is working to collect
oil at a wetland area near the spill site. EPA worked with the Army Corps of
Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources to approve a plan to permit Marathon to build a road along the edge
of the wetland to give trucks access to remove the contaminated materials.
Likely due to the wetland excavation, air monitoring
detected benzene early this morning. In response, Marathon personnel will wear
appropriate personal protective equipment and EPA added additional air
monitoring equipment and sampling.
March 14
U.S. EPA has established 14 air monitoring/sampling
locations near the spill release
and downstream. The agency anticipates air sampling results for volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) will be posted to the website shortly. Results for
Lower Explosive Limit, benzene, Hydrogen Sulfide and others should be available
later this week.
U.S. EPA and Marathon
initiated surface water sampling in the Cahokia Creek and Cahokia Diversion
Channel. Water sampling results will be posted to the website when available.
U.S. EPA continues to work with federal, state and local
responders as well as Marathon to address the oil spill in Cahokia Creek.
Marathon has recovered more than 5,800 barrels of oil and water from the creek.
Marathon established 10 booming locations along
9 miles of the Cahokia Creek and Cahokia Diversion
Channel. These locations are prepared to collect oil via vacuum trucks and oil skimmers.
March 13
U.S. EPA continues to work
with federal, state and local responders as well as Marathon to address the oil
spill in Cahokia Creek. Marathon has recovered more than 2,000 barrels of oil
and water from the creek.
U.S. EPA is conducting air
monitoring around the impacted area and in the surrounding community. U.S. EPA
created water sampling plans and has reviewed Marathon Pipeline groundwater sampling plans and
forwarded comments to IEPA for review and approval.
U.S. EPA will post air monitoring data as it becomes
available.
March 12
U.S. EPA continues
to work with federal, state and local responders as well as Marathon Pipe Line
to address the oil spill in Cahokia Creek. U.S. EPA estimates that oil has
impacted seven miles of the creek but is currently contained two miles from the
Mississippi River. Marathon has recovered more than 900 barrels of crude oil
and water from the creek. The company continues to recover oil from the creek
with federal and state oversight.
U.S. EPA is
conducting air monitoring around the impacted area and in the surrounding
community. U.S. EPA is also assisting with water sampling plans.
U.S. EPA will post
air monitoring data as it becomes available to this website.
Background
On March 11, at 9:50
a.m. CST, Marathon Pipe Line reported a release of about 3,000 barrels of crude
oil from a 22 inch pipeline near Edwardsville, Illinois. The company reported
the cause of the release was due to equipment failure and shut down the
pipeline. Oil has impacted the Cahokia Creek, which leads to the Mississippi
River.
The spilled
material is ‘Wyoming Asphaltic Sour’ crude oil. The pipeline is estimated to be
four feet below surface near the spill location. Initial assessments indicated
oil was emanating from the embankment of the Cahokia Creek, and the rate of
discharge into the water has lessened. Oil is impacting the full breadth of the
creek and response efforts are ongoing. Marathon operations are attempting to
contain the oil prior to reaching the Mississippi River. As of 18:00 CST,
product was observed at a booming location near Route 111, approximately 2.5
miles from the Mississippi River confluence. Marathon Pipe Line has deployed
containment boom in several locations on the creek to stop floating oil from
traveling further down the creek. This assists in recovery of the oil.
