The source of the slick was traced to a small leak in a Sunoco pipeline going from the dock to the refinery. Sunoco immediately established an emergency command center and built several underflow dams to keep the oil from reaching the creek.

Atmospheric monitoring was conducted to ensure the safety of workers and neighbors, the pipeline repaired, and remediation of the area was conducted over the next several weeks. Additionally, the cracked piece of pipe was sent for analysis to determine why it failed and the pipeline underwent further testing to confirm the success of the repair and the integrity of the pipeline.

Following the repair and clean-up, Sunoco began final restoration and remediation the affected areas. Several roadways that were stressed by the heavy clean-up equipment were repaired and a temporary gravel road created during the operation was removed and the grass restored.

Sunoco worked with the Lutheran Homes Society, owners of the senior citizen housing properties that Sunoco had to traverse during the project, to restore or better the affected grounds. Sunoco constructed a new 750-foot walkway along Otter Creek for the local citizens that will tie into other planned walkways. Improvements were also made to a parking lot and nearby basketball courts and baseball diamond. Additionally, five truckloads of trash – including about 50 discarded tires – were hauled away as part of the spill clean-up effort.