2013 Mayflower oil spill. (2019, 9/ 17). Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Mayflower_oil_spill#Pegasus_Pipeline
The 2013 Mayflower oil spill occurred on March 29, 2013, when the Pegasus Pipeline, owned by ExxonMobil and carrying Canadian Wabasca heavy crude from the Athabasca oil sands, ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Little Rock releasing about 3,190 barrels (134,000 US gal; 507 m3) of oil.[1] Approximately 12,000 barrels (500,000 US gal; 1,900 m3) of oil and water mix was recovered. Twenty-two homes were evacuated.[2] The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the leak as a major spill.[3]
Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline carries 95,000 barrels per day (15,100 m3/d) of crude a distance of 850 miles (1,368 km) from Patoka, Illinois to Nederland, Texas.[4] On April 2, 2013, PHMSA, the federal pipeline regulator, issued a corrective action order until repairs have been completed and all safety concerns addressed.[5]
Several problems with the pipe seam were identified as the cause of the failure. Hook cracks, extremely low impact toughness, and elongation properties were named for the pipe tested. The low-frequency electric resistance weld (ERW) pipe manufacturing process, used to make this pipe, has been known to have weaknesses with hook cracks and hardness issues.[31][32][33]
In 2015, ExxonMobil settled charges that it violated the federal Clean Water Act and state environmental laws, for $5.07 million, including $4.19 million in civil penalties.