SIOUX CITY, IOWA — An unknown amount of gasoline has reached a drainage ditch in Sioux City near the Magellan Pipeline tank farm, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Magellan Pipeline reported the spill 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.
A DNR statement said Magellan Pipeline first contained the spill before it could reach the Floyd River and set up booms to recover gas from the approximately 2-foot-wide creek. Magellan plans to excavate contaminated soil at the site, continue cleanup on the ditch and monitor air quality throughout the cleanup, the DNR said.
It is unknown how long the pipe leaked prior to discovery, the DNR said. 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 arrived onsite Friday afternoon to oversee cleanup activities. The Sioux City Fire Department initially responded to the release.
