SIOUX CITY – An unknown amount of gasoline has reached a drainage ditch in Sioux City near the Magellan Pipeline tank farm.
The company reported the release Friday morning after discovering a leaking pipe between tanks at their Sioux City bulk petroleum facility. The release point was outside their containment area, allowing fuel to soak into the ground with some flowing into an unnamed tributary of the Floyd River.
The company first contained the spill before it could reach the Floyd River. The company set up booms to recover gas from the approximately 2-foot wide creek. Magellan plans to excavate contaminated soil at the site and continue cleanup on the ditch. They will also be monitoring air quality throughout the cleanup.
Although it’s unknown how long the pipe leaked, the release was initially estimated at 2,100 gallons, but Magellan officials now estimate that nearly 30,000 gallons were released.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency out of Kansas City will be onsite Friday afternoon to oversee cleanup activities. The Sioux City Fire Department initially responded to the release.