Cygnet oil spill under investigation

VILLAGE OF CYGNET - Environmental crews are battling a strong river current and gusting winds to try to stop a large crude oil spill from flowing farther north in the Portage River.

As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, the oil spill which sprung late Wednesday afternoon, from a leaking pipe at the Sunoco terminal south of Cygnet, had migrated more than 12 miles northeast to Pemberville.

There's still no estimate on the amount of oil spilled, but one Wood County official said the amount was "substantial."

Sunoco Logistics confirmed as of 4 p.m. Thursday oil from the pipeline has stopped flowing into the Portage River.

Environmental crews from four separate companies contracted by Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. had dispersed all along the Middle Branch of the Portage River trying to contain the slick. Additional personnel have been sent farther north into Sandusky and Ottawa counties to monitor the river water for signs of contamination.

As of 1 p.m., some environmental crews were staging at William Henry Harrison Park on the south end of Pemberville. There were also crews near bridges over the river farther south at North River Road and Alexander Road, and near North River Road and Wayne Road.

The crews were expected to try to stop the oil contamination by using absorbent booms and dikes.

"There's an ideal point in the river there for them to set up a stop point," said Brad Gilbert, director of the Wood County Emergency Management Agency. "We think that will be the big stop point there by the park."

Communities farther north, toward Lake Erie, are being put on notice.

Dina Pierce, spokesperson for the Ohio EPA, said the Coast Guard is on standby in case oil-contaminated river water makes it all the way to Lake Erie.

"That's the last line of defense," Pierce said. "Of course, we're hoping to stop it before that."

Communities along the Portage River are being advised of the spill and to take precautions if they depend on the river for drinking water.

In Cygnet, tests on the village's wells were conducted Thursday to ensure the oil had not contaminated the drinking water for this town of around 550 residents.

So far, the well water appears safe for human consumption. The wells are about 185 feet deep, according Gilbert.

"The Village of Cygnet is in good shape at this point as far as drinking water," Gilbert said.

The county EMA and health department have been monitoring the situation. Officials from the U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA also have been involved in what has become a large-scale effort to contain the oil spill and prevent further contamination of Rocky Ford Creek and the Portage River.

Crews are being hampered by westerly wind gusts and river levels that have risen with this week's rainfall.

"That has kind of hampered the operation," Gilbert said. "The creek and the river are flowing fairly quickly, and the wind isn't helping either."

According to the National Weather Service, winds Thursday are out of the west at more than 20 miles per hour with gusts over 30 mph.

The Portage River runs at a northeast angle toward Lake Erie. The wind is essentially pushing the oil-contaminated water along.

Pierce said the underground pipe where the leak originated was excavated earlier Thursday and plugged. But it's still unknown how many gallons of crude escaped into the ground and the nearby waterways.

"It's a large spill and we really don't have a good estimate yet on how much" leaked into the waterways, said Pierce. "Right now our main concern and focus is on stopping it."

The Cygnet Pump Station and Terminal are part of the Maumee Pipeline System, which carries approximately 142,000 barrels of crude oil per day from its origin in Lima to its end in Samaria, Mich., according to the company.

 

( The BG Sentinel-Tribune is a FOXToledo.com media affiliate)