Updated- Five barrels of oil went into tributary in Dubois oil spill

Indiana Conservation Officers, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas are investigating an oil well spill that was discovered Sunday early evening, in Dubois County, near the town of Dubois, along Highway 545.

According to the investigation thus far, salt water and crude oil were discovered running from an oil well battery tank system into Leistner Creek. Approximately 200 barrels of salt water, an oil well by-product, and less than five barrels (approximately 210 gallons) of crude oil had escaped into the watershed system. Cleanup began immediately upon the discovery. The well is owned by Indigo Energy out of Nevada.

Upon an initial report of an oil spill, regulatory agencies responding include the IDNR’s Division of Oil and Gas, which regulates oil well operations; The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), which oversees cleanup and measures the water pollution impact; and Indiana Conservation Officers, who check for wildlife affected and well as any criminal activity that might have taken place. Any violation or impact on the environment may result in civil penalties or criminal charges.

Mechanical failure appears to be a possible cause of the accident, however, the spill is still under investigation and cleanup continues at this time.

Affected was a minimal amount of wildlife, including small mammals, crustaceans, and amphibians at this time. Regulatory agencies will continue to monitor the cleanup, environmental impact, and further effects on wildlife in the area.

Original Story

Andy Stinchfield, an emergency responder with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management reports that an oil spill occurred Sunday night near the Dubois Crossroads.

Stinchfield says Rees Oil and Gas Services, LLC owns the oil well and pump. The pump failed Sunday evening and put about 210 barrels of a crude oil and saltwater mixture into a small stream next to the pump.

Stinchfield says that the stream is a tributary that leads into the Patoka River. “Once we discovered the spill we got some booms in place to skim the oil and contain it.”

The crew then began recovering the oil from the stream on Monday morning with a vacuum truck.

Stinchfield says that they have performed an assessment and determined that the environmental impact is negligible and officers with the Department of Natural Resources have not found any wildlife that have been affected.

Stinchfield also says that there is no danger to drinking water along the stream or Patoka River, and that Jasper Water officials have been notified about the issue. “We did notify the downstream water users, Jasper Water utility, on Sunday night when we had the release,” Stinchfield explained. “I was 100% sure at that time we wouldn’t get any visible sign or probably any detectable sign at the water plant but I did notify them of the release.”

The 210 barrels of the spill represents about 8000 gallons and Stinchfield says the clean up process should be completed in about 24 hours.

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