An investigation is ongoing on how a pipeline leaked 138,600 gallons of diesel fuel in Worth County early Wednesday morning, according to Magellan Midstream Partners L.P., the pipeline company.
A subsidiary of Magellan Midstream last week settled a lawsuit with the federal government for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel spills in three states.
The 3,300 barrels of diesel leaked out of Magellan’s 12-inch pipeline system near Hanlontown around 390th Street and Wheelerwood Road, said Bruce Heine, spokesman for Magellan. A portion of Wheelerwood Road will be closed for two days, according to the Worth County Sheriff’s Office.
UPDATE: Cleanup underway; cause still unknown
“It’s a big one — it’s significant,” said Jeff Vansteenburg, a field office supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “The responsible party is Magellan, so they’ll have to bear the cost of clean up.”
The pipeline leaked on private agricultural land, said Karen Grimes, spokeswoman for the Iowa DNR. There is a small stream near the leak, but Grimes said no surface water has been contaminated. The Iowa DNR has not uncovered any underground water contamination.
The leak occurred when the pipeline ruptured and diesel sprayed out, Grimes said. Magellan reported the leak around 8 a.m. It was initially reported that 63,000 gallons leaked out, Grimes said.
“They found that it’s basically pooled into a farm field that’s near the break and has not reached the water in the state,” Grimes said. “There’s a little creek, but it has not reached any surface waters at this time.”
Heine said it’s unknown what caused the leak at this time. Vansteenburg said nothing struck the pipe that would cause it to leak. He said there are sensors in the pipeline that notify Magellan when a problem occurs.
The federal government announced last week that Magellan Pipeline Co., a Magellan Midstream Partners LP subsidiary,
agreed to settle violations of the Clean Water Act.
Magellan will pay about $16 million in injunctive relief across its 11,000-mile pipeline system and pay a $2 million civil penalty, according to the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The violations are related to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel spills in Texas City, Texas; Nemaha, Nebraska, and El Dorado, Kansas. The spills contaminated water channels, according to the EPA.
To read the story about the federal settlement click here: EPA Settlement