HomeNewsMarathon Petroleum Shuts Oil Pipeline After Leak in Illinois

Marathon Petroleum Shuts Oil Pipeline After Leak in Illinois

3/13/2022

[Editor's Note: This story has been updated from a previous version posted at 1:03 p.m. on March 13.]

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Marathon Pipe Line Inc. (MPL) reported a crude oil leak from a portion of the Marathon Pipeline on Friday, which led to its decision to shut down the pipeline, Bloomberg reported on March 12. The pipeline — located near the intersection of Illinois Route 143 and Illinois Route 159 — spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil into a local canal, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

The leak into the Cahokia diversion channel was first detected on Friday morning and booms were deployed to try and contain the oil, parent company Marathon Petroleum Corp. said in a statement.  

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated 165,000 gallons were released into the canal before containment, the EPA told local news station FOX2. 

MPL deployed air monitoring in the area, but did not detect any hazardous level of emissions. There weren't any water intakes or private wells in the immediate vicinity, according to Marathon. 

“Resources deployed to the area for cleanup activities include boom, vacuum trucks, skimmers, and excavating equipment. Additional personnel and equipment are en route to the location to assist in cleanup activities,” it added.

The EPA has referred the incident over to the attorney general to oversee the cleanup of the land and water. 

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the leak.

Related News

Comments

{{ error }}
{{ comment.comment.Name }} • {{ comment.timeAgo }}
{{ comment.comment.Text }}