Cleanup recovers 650 barrels of oil

VILLAGE OF CYGNET - As of noon Friday 650 barrels of oil had been recovered in cleanup operations following failure Wednesday of a 22-inch oil pipeline near the Cygnet Pump Station and Terminal.

"We have recovered 650 barrels (29,250 gallons) from the tiling, soil and water," BJ Fischer, public information officer for Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P., said Friday afternoon.

Fischer and numerous other officials working on the incident and its aftermath held a brief press conference in the Wood County Sheriff's Office.

He said the cleanup is off to a good start but still has a long way to go. Fischer declined to estimate when the work will be finished and said it has not been determined how much oil came out of the broken pipe.

"The unified command being used to oversee this operation is benefiting everyone and is evidenced by the progress being made," he said. "More than 100 people remain involved and will continue to remain involved," Fischer said.

In addition to the private firms Sunoco has hired to handle the cleanup, the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Coast Guard and Wood County Sheriff's Office have had people at work.

Tricia Edwards of the U.S. EPA said the Region 5 staff, of which she is a member, has handled numerous cleanups, with the Detroit River, Ohio River and the Mississippi River among the waterways involved.

The Wood County spill started in Rocky Ford Creek at Cygnet and the found its way into ditches and eventually the Middle Branch of the Portage River. Officials have said it is their plan to keep oil from advancing beyond booms in the Portage River south of Pemberville.

"The spill is fairly well-contained at this point and the cleanup is well under way," said Dina Pierce, media relations coordinator for the Ohio EPA.

Officials of Mid Valley Pipeline said that firm acquired the pipeline in 1978 and estimates its age to be approximately 50 years. It is hoped that a cause of the pipe failure will be determined when metalurgical testing is completed in several weeks.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been involved to the extent it has flown over the area closer to Lake Erie to make sure there is no evidence of oil approaching the lake. It's area of concern starts at Ohio 2, which parallels the lake.

Brad Gilbert, director of Wood County's Emergency Management Agency said the goal of his office has been to keep Wood County residents safe. He said the Wood County Sheriff's Office, Wood County Engineer's Office and Wood County Health Department have all been involved at some point.

Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said the roads that have been closed to help cleanup crews place booms in waterways had been reopened. "There may be some temporary closures when the booms are removed but most of these roads are lightly traveled," he said.

Fischer said closing down the pipeline has not had any effect on the refining capabilities of the end-user of the crude oil.

He also corrected an earlier statement that the problem was detected by a drop in pressure at the plant. "It was detected by the smell, the odor of the oil," Fischer said.

Fischer said it is too early to determine the cost of the cleanup.

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