INGLESIDE, Tx — Late Friday night at about 10:30 pm, nearly 2,915 barrels of oil leaked from a tank inside the Flint Hills Resources (FHR) terminal in Ingleside. The oil was contained onsite and did not impact any body of water in the area, according to the report that was made to the Corpus Christi Office of Emergency Management.
FHR sprayed the area with a sealing foam blanket to trap the odor of the leaked crude oil. They did say that there may still be a smell in the immediate area.
“Some of our crews first smelled and then saw a release from tank seventy-five," Director of Public Affairs for Flint Hill Resources Andy Saenz said. "We immediately put our protocols in place and called emergency responders who were able to meet us out here at the site. We were able to shut the leak down completely and then we started our cleanup efforts so that’s what we’re undertaking now.”
Government agencies have continued to monitor the air quality in the surrounding area and have said that all readings are normal. FHR also said that it is using fence line and mobile air monitors to monitor the air quality.
"The oil stayed exactly where it was supposed to stay. This is a containment area that’s built around the tanks itself. When the oil came out, it stayed in that general area," Saenz said.
The cause of the incident is under investigation and was reported to local, state, and federal authorities according to a statement from Flint Hills Resources.
Saenz said that it will take a while for the investigation to conclude what caused the leak.
Although the oil leak does not pose any direct health threats to the general public, Elida Castillo, Program Director from Chispa Texas, recommended that anyone who is immunocompromised should shelter in place in their home until the oil is completely cleaned up.
"No matter how much these facilities say that they try to mitigate the risks to our health and environment, it’s not possible to absolutely do that," Castillo said.
Flint Hills Resources had a smaller oil leak on Dec. 24. 2022 of about 14,000 gallons. The recent leak added up to over 122,000 gallons of oil spilled.
"The big difference between what happened at Ingleside a year ago and what happened today, this weekend, is that everything has remained right here. It’s on site. It hasn’t moved anywhere. The water is really far away. Nothing has migrated off site" Saenz said.
Saenz said that the odor in Ingleside coming from the oil spill should be gone soon as the cleanup efforts continue.
"We think that the smell, the odors will reduce as we remove the product from the area. We’re making good progress, so hopefully there won’t be any odor later today or even tomorrow," Saenz said.
The air quality levels in the area will continue to be monitored closely.
