DEP responds to 100-gallon oil spill near Eckman in McDowell County

About 100 gallons of used oil spilled at a Diversified Energy compressor station near Eckman after a valve failed on a storage tank, drawing a response from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection in McDowell County. State officials said the leak was stopped and the spill was contained.

The incident unfolded in the Eckman area on Friday, May 29, 2026, and state environmental officials were investigating the oil leak as a local contamination event with potential downstream consequences. Used oil can move quickly through drainage channels and low spots in McDowell County’s steep terrain, so even a spill that stays on site can raise concern if it reaches a ditch, creek or runoff path.

The DEP said there were no reported impacts to public water systems. Even so, the agency took precautionary steps to notify public water utilities downstream, a signal that officials were watching for any movement beyond the compressor station property and into sources people rely on for drinking water.

Diversified Energy’s compressor station near Eckman sits in a part of the county where access roads, hollow runoff and small streams can turn a localized release into a broader cleanup problem. The state response centered on containment, but the spill’s cause, a valve failure on a storage tank, points to the kind of equipment problem that can trigger an environmental investigation and follow-up inspections.

The DEP’s involvement also places the spill under state oversight rather than leaving it to a private cleanup alone. In practice, that means environmental officials are tracking whether the oil stayed on site, whether any soil or water was affected, and whether downstream utilities need continued notice as the investigation continues in the Eckman area of McDowell County.