EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Boats are now being used to help with the cleanup of oil after a leak from the Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) in Edwardsville last Friday. Crews are also working on repairing the line. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, roughly 2,900 barrels of oil and water had been removed from the Cahokia diversion channel. An estimated 3,300 barrels leaked Friday morning near the intersection of Route 143 and Route 159.

Clean up efforts

More than 4,000 feet of Boom -- a material used to help contain oil spills -- is being used in the cleanup process. There is a Unified Command made up of 9 local and federal agencies.  MPL also has the following equipment on site or on the way:

·       8 skimmers: equipment that remove oil from water

·       50 vacuum trucks: equipment that removes oil and water

·       3 tanker trucks: to store oily water for proper disposal

·       6 excavation equipment: to expose the pipeline and remove contaminated soil

There are still reports of odors near areas affected by the release. MPL is monitoring the area as a precaution and there have been no hazardous levels of emissions.

Residents are being asked to avoid the following areas until the cleanup is complete.

• Wanda Road from New Poag Road to Wagon Wheel
• Old Alton Edwardsville Road from Illinois State Route 143 to west of the Cahokia Canal

Wildlife resource and recovery efforts

Experts have now been called in to monitor the spill and help retrieve and treat wildlife that have been affected by the oil. Veterinary staff is also on site to treat the animals.

Crews have also deployed audible deterrents to keep wildlife away from the affected area. MPL is providing all needed resources to recover and rehabilitate the impacted wildlife. They say volunteers are not needed at this point.

However, if any people encounter impacted wildlife they should not approach the animal themselves. Instead, people are being asked to contact the Madison County, Illinois, Conservation Officer at 618-444-1540.