WVDEP responds to used oil leak in McDowell County

A valve failure at a Diversified Energy compressor station near Eckman sent about 100 gallons of used oil into a McDowell County cleanup that quickly shifted from an equipment problem to a water-quality concern. WVDEP said the leak was stopped, the spill was contained, and most of the oil was captured inside existing control structures at the site.

The state agency said some of the oil reached Coalbank Branch, prompting containment booms and other recovery measures downstream. WVDEP said no fish kill was observed and no impacts to public water systems had been reported at the time of its notice. As a precaution, downstream public water utilities were notified, and municipal drinking water was unaffected.

The release occurred at a Diversified Energy compressor station near the Eckman area of McDowell County, where the leaking equipment sat next to a permitted mine haulroad site owned by Mid-Vol Coal. WVDEP said the problem began when a valve failed on a storage tank. With steep terrain, narrow roads and small waterways common across the county, even a spill that is mostly held on site can still create fast-moving concerns for property owners, road crews and anyone relying on nearby drainage channels to stay clear.

WVDEP said material collected in the site’s drainage control structures was removed and that additional land remediation was underway to keep more oil from entering the watershed. The sequence matters for Eckman and surrounding communities because cleanup is not limited to what spilled first; it also includes the runoff paths, the drainage infrastructure and the downstream waterway that carried part of the release.

The incident puts a spotlight on how quickly a localized mechanical failure can turn into a county-level environmental response. For residents in Welch, Gary, Northfork, War and nearby areas, the immediate questions are not just how much oil escaped, but where it went, whether it stayed off roads and private property, and how long remediation will continue around Coalbank Branch and the compressor station site.