Ohio gasoline pipeline back in service after January leak
20 March 2012
The cracked pipeline that leaked 116,760 gallons of gasoline in Wellington, Ohio, has been removed and replaced with a new pipeline under the guidance of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), according to a Sunoco spokesperson. The 8-inch pipeline, owned by Sunoco, runs from Toledo, Ohio, to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and is now back in service.
The cracked pipeline leaked 116,760 gallons of gasoline in Wellington, Ohio
According to the Morning Journal, three months after the January 12 spill, clean up work at the site is winding down. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency stopped taking daily air samples on site at the end of February and no injuries or sickness have been reported.
The Ohio EPA and Sunoco remediation plan has focused on removing gasoline from the soil and local water courses. Gasoline-soaked soil has been dug up and containment booms and aerators used in a nearby creek. The costs of the remediation work and of the residents who were initially evacuated will be borne by Sunoco.
Ohio EPA says the initial results of groundwater sampling in the area are positive, but that long-term elements in the remediation programme will take many more weeks to complete. A Sunoco representative is still on site to deal with local concerns and complaints.
The affected length of pipeline, which had a 30 inch crack, was made in 1952 and last examined in 2007. It has been sent to an outside agency for checks, and a final report will be submitted to Sunoco and the PHMSA.
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