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The
breach occurred on a Sunoco Logistics Partners LP pipeline in
the area of Gamble Township, around 100 miles (160 kms) north of
Harrisburg, according to state authorities, who estimated the
spill at about 1,300 barrels (55,000 gallons).
The gasoline leaked into Wallis Run, a tributary of the
Loyalsock Creek as a result of floods and landslides during
heavy rainfall on Thursday night, the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) said in a statement. The
Loyalsock Creek runs into the West Branch Susquehanna River
around 15 miles (24 kms) south of where where the spill
occurred.
"Crews will use skimmers to remove gasoline from the top of
affected waterways and will erect containment booms downstream,"
Sunoco Logistics said in a statement, without specifying which
waterways had been affected.
Pennsylvania environmental officials said that since rain is
predicted to continue, it could be later on Friday night or
Saturday before the water recedes and the break area on the
pipeline can be found.
A drop in pressure on the eight-inch pipeline was detected by
the Sunoco Logistics Control Center shortly after 3 a.m. on
Friday. The pipeline was shut down and emergency response
personnel dispatched to the scene, Sunoco Logistics said.
Pennsylvania American Water said in a Facebook post it would
notify customers when its water conservation notice is lifted.
The spill came as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and
environmental activists protest against construction of a
1,100-mile (1,886-km) North Dakota oil pipeline Sunoco will
operate, saying it threatens water supply and sacred sites.
Sunoco Logistics spills crude more often than any of its
competitors with more than 200 leaks since 2010, according to a
Reuters analysis of government data.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not immediately
respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Devika Krishna
Kumar in New York; additional reporting by Ethan Lou; Editing by
Sandra Maler and Andrew Hay)
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