On 11 March 2022, an underground Marathon Pipe Line LLC pipline near Edwardsville, Illinois USA leaked approximately 165,000 gallons of crude oil into Cahokia Creek, which runs through farmland on the way to empty iteself into the Mississippi.
Residents of Edwardsville reported smelling crude oil. A US Environmental Protection Agency page reported that as of 18 March 2022, Marathon had "recovered 17,765 barrels of oil/water mix and 5,320 cubic yards of suspected contaminated material."
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has referred the incident to the state Attorney General's office.
The Marathon pipeline runs along Cahokia Creek, very near a popular pedestrian and bike commuter trail into Edwardsville, a watershed preserve which is home to many species of waterfowl and other birds, and a state nature reserve.
Marathon Pipe Line LLC was owned by Marathon Oil until 2011, when it was spun off into an independent company. Both Marathon and its former parent company are headquartered in Findlay, Ohio.
