January 11, 2024
Update #14 on Olympic Pipeline Gasoline Spill
Please see the most recent statement below from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State Department of Ecology, and bp America regarding the Olympic pipeline gasoline spill on Highway 534 in Conway. Skagit County Department of Emergency Management is on site to support the response efforts.
The Unified Command leading the response to the discharge of gasoline from a vault associated with the Olympic Pipeline in Conway, Washington has the following updates on the progress of cleanup efforts:
- Due to inclement weather, the Unified Command is suspending active field operations beginning on Friday, Jan. 12. Regular operations are anticipated to restart on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 16, weather permitting. This decision was made in the interest of personnel safety.
- Critical personnel will be on location 24/7 to monitor the response site and keep it
secure. Boom maintenance will continue through this period, following plans approved by the Washington Department of Ecology.
- Because crews will not be conducting any excavation work during this period,
community air quality monitoring will be on hold until field operations resume. To date, air monitoring conducted at the direction of Unified Command has indicated no public health risk from gasoline fumes. The public may email liaison@ecy.wa.gov with any questions or concerns.
- As of Jan. 10, 1,664 cubic yards of soil have been loaded onto trucks for treatment and disposal at a hazardous waste facility.
- Approximately 8,324 gallons of gasoline have been recovered to date. The Unified
Command has refined the estimated volume of gasoline discharged in the incident to approximately 21,168 gallons, based on recent hydraulic modeling.
General Information
Area residents who live along Hill Ditch may continue to see sheen as pockets of gasoline that were trapped by vegetation and other debris on the water and along the shoreline are released by wind, rain, and the natural rise and fall of stream levels. Spill response teams are locating and removing these pockets of gasoline.
SR 534 was reopened to two-way traffic as of Jan. 8, 2024.
Air monitoring conducted at the direction of the Unified Command continues to indicate no public health risk from gasoline fumes.
Members of the public who come upon injured or deceased wildlife are asked not to touch or relocate affected wildlife and to call 1-800-22BIRDS.
A claims center has been established by the Olympic Pipeline. Please call 1-866-616-1558 to report any personal or property damages resulting from the spill.
The Unified Command consists of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Department of Ecology, Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, bp, and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.
Status updates are posted on Ecology’s website at ecology.wa.gov/OlympicPipelineSpill. Photos and video of last week’s tree removal are available on Ecology’s Flickr and Youtube sites.
For further information on this incident, contact:
Scarlet Tang/Ecology: 206-920-2600
Jenn Rogers/Skagit County: 360-630-6604
Paul Takahashi/BP: 713-903-9729
Bill Dunbar/EPA: 206-245-7452
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