Marathon handles pipeline leak with extreme caution

Crews from both Marathon Petroleum Company and C.J. Hughes Construction, based out of Huntington, W. Va, began digging to fix the small leak between the casing and the pipeline on Friday afternoon. The project is expected to be complete in the next few days.

REELSVILLE -- For the past two days U.S. 40 has been restricted near Country Road 625 West due to a pipe leak, which was found during a routine utility check.

On Thursday afternoon, a pipe that is owned by Marathon Petroleum Company was found to have a small leak.

"Essentially, where the casing pipe goes under U.S. 40, there is a sealant between our pipeline and the casing," explained Marathon Right of Way Specialist Andy Oswalt. "There was a small leak where the two connect."

The 10-inch petroleum pipeline spans from Robinson, Ill. to Lima, Ohio.

As a precaution, the line was immediately shut down until an investigation was conducted on Friday.

"We took a lot of precautions and shut down the line. We err on the side of caution at all times" Marathon Communications Manager Robert Calmus said. "Our pipeline itself had no problems whatsoever."

The results showed that the line itself did not leak petroleum.

"After the investigation we determined the substance of origin was not from our pipeline," explained Calmus. "It was a benign protective fluid placed between the pipeline (and the casing)."

The casing surrounding the pipeline contained a liquid sealant, which is designed to prevent the line from corrosion and rust.

Crews began working to fix the problem Thursday afternoon and are expected to finish in the next couple days.

There was no environmental concern with this leak.

Westbound lanes were restricted on U.S. 40 for the majority of the day on Thursday and Friday.