2013 Mayflower oil spill
| 2013 Mayflower oil spill | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Mayflower, Arkansas |
| Coordinates | 34°58′55″N 92°26′42″W / 34.98194°N 92.44500°WCoordinates: 34°58′55″N 92°26′42″W / 34.98194°N 92.44500°W |
| Date | March 29, 2013 |
| Cause | Pipeline rupture |
| Operator | ExxonMobil |
| Volume | 3,190 bbl (134,000 US gal; 507 m3) |
The 2013 Mayflower oil spill occurred on March 29, 2013, when the Pegasus Pipeline, owned by ExxonMobil and carrying Canadian Wabasca heavy crude from the Athabasca oil sands, ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Little Rock releasing about 3,190 barrels (134,000 US gal; 507 m3) of oil. Approximately 12,000 barrels (500,000 US gal; 1,900 m3) of oil and water mix was recovered. Twenty-two homes were evacuated. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the leak as a major spill.
Exxon's Pegasus pipeline carries 95,000 barrels per day (15,100 m3/d) of crude a distance of 850 miles (1,368 km) from Patoka, Illinois to Nederland, Texas. The pipeline is 20 inches (510 mm) in diameter and is buried an average of 24 inches (61 cm) below ground. On April 2, 2013, PHMSA, the federal pipeline regulator, issued a corrective action order until repairs have been completed and all safety concerns addressed.
The Pegasus Pipeline, (a/k/a, EMPCO Pipeline, and the Magnolia Pipeline) is 858 miles (1,381 km), and runs from Patoka IL to the Texas Gulf Coast. It was built in two segments between 1947-1954 as an oil pipeline, which shipped products from Corsicana Texas, both north for industrial uses, and south to Gulf Coast refineries.
The flow of the southern section was reversed in 1995, and again in 2002. The northern section was abandoned in 2002, before being re-commissioned in 2005-2006 and reversed to carry diluted bitumen from Alberta Tar Sands to refiners in Texas.
The pipeline sheet metal was manufactured by Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co, using a manufacturing process called LF-ERW (Low-Frequency Electric Resistance Welds). This process has been known to have latent defects which eventually leads to failures. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued advisory bulletins in 1988 and 1989 to alert operators of factors contributing to failures of pipelines constructed with ERW pipe.
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