Keeping up with the pipeline break

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is posting air quality monitoring data from the site of the March 29 ExxonMobil pipeline spill in Mayflower on the agency’s public website. 

Continuous air quality monitoring is being conducted by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ExxonMobil. The air monitoring data from both EPA and ExxonMobil have been reviewed by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). ADH has concluded that the data results are similar.

The data is at http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/hazwaste/mayflower_oil_spill_2013/default.htm.

As cleanup continues, contaminant levels continue to decrease. To date, the air quality readings have been below levels likely to cause health effects for the general population with the exception of the cleanup areas where the emergency responders are directly working. On-going air monitoring will continue throughout the local community and in the evacuated neighborhood. In addition to meeting air quality standards, additional cleanup efforts must be finalized before residents are allowed to re-enter. Evacuated residents will be promptly notified when conditions for re-entry are met.