“It’s a big one — it’s significant”
An underground pipeline running through multiple Midwestern states has leaked roughly 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel, according to Magellan Midstream Partners the company that owns the pipeline. The leaking from the 12-inch underground pipe was initially spotted in a farm field in Worth County, Iowa, on Wednesday morning.
“It’s a big one — it’s significant,” said Jeff Vansteenburg of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told the Des Moines Register.
At a press conference, Vansteenburg said, “The product is under pressure, so as soon as a leak develops, it starts coming out pretty fast. Vacuum trucks are sucking up as much liquid as they can and taking that down to Magellan’s terminal. … Once they’ve recovered all the free product that they can then they will go in and remove contaminated soil.”
According to a report in the Iowa Register, the leak occurred when the pipeline ruptured and diesel sprayed out, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed.
