Sunoco pipeline leaks 240 barrels of oil into Ohio

Sunoco Logistics Partners has reported a leak from its 20in-diameter crude oil pipeline into a nature preserve located adjacent to the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio.

Oil leaked from the Mid-Valley pipeline, part of the company’s Midwest system, into a wetland area of the Oak Glen Nature Preserve, 20 miles north of Cincinnati.

Sunoco says that the 240-barrel spill has been contained, with the pipeline closed immediately on either side of the leak area. According to Genscape, overnight flows along the pipeline came down from an estimated 229,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 163,000 bpd.

In order to ensure the oil did not spread, crews vacuumed oil from a wetlands area, and performed other work on barriers. A spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said that the spill may not have reached the Great Miami River, located around 400m away.

Sunoco is still unclear about the cause of the oil leak, and stated that it was unclear whether any oil was still leaking from the line. It has mentioned no timeline to restart the pipeline, which has a capacity of 280,000 bpd.

Running about 1,000 miles from Longview, Texas to Samaria, Michigan, the company’s Midwest system provides refineries in the US Midwest with crude oil.