This enforcement action follows the conclusion of Ecology’s investigation of the 2023 Conway spill. For questions about the ongoing response for a leak on the Olympic Pipeline that began Nov. 11, 2025, please contact Ecology Communications Manager Jasmin Adams at 360-464-0324. This penalty is solely for the 2023 spill, and cost recovery tied to the response following that incident. The penalty amount and enforcement action were determined prior to the current spill response.
CONWAY – A corroded nut caused a release of 21,000 gallons of gasoline from the Olympic Pipeline near Conway in December 2023, sending 4,000 gallons to a nearby fish-bearing stream and resulting in a school to close temporarily.
The Washington Department of Ecology has issued a $3.8 million penalty to Olympic Pipe Line Company LLC and BP Pipelines (North America) Inc. for the spill. Ecology is also seeking to recover its response costs of $822,162. The natural resource damage assessment and restoration is still under evaluation by state and tribal trust agencies.
Cleanup crews worked for three months to remove 12,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 330,000 gallons of oily water from the site.
The incident started Dec. 9, 2023, when a pipeline alarm sounded multiple times indicating a possible leak. Pipeline staff investigated but a leak was not identified. Alarms sounded again on Dec. 10, leading the pipeline operator, BP, to shut down the pipeline that carries fuels from refineries near Ferndale to Portland, Ore.
A field technician found water and gasoline overflowing from a concrete vault near Conway. The gasoline flowed downhill 400 feet through a field and into Hill Ditch, an irrigation channel that flows to the Skagit River, and also into nearby wetlands.
Photo of spill site during removal of contaminated soil along the streambank.
The leak was traced to a corroded carbon steel nut on a 3/8-inch high-pressure tubing assembly used to monitor pipeline pressure. The carbon steel nut corroded from contact with the stainless-steel tubing and periodic exposure to groundwater in the vault.
Ecology’s investigation found that BP performed regular assessments and inspections on the equipment, but failed to identify the corroded carbon steel nut, which should not have been used due to the corrosive potential of combining dissimilar metals.
Due to the spill’s proximity to private residences and the Conway School, the potential for public health and safety impacts was high. The spill resulted in the temporary closure of the school and a local road, which heavily impacted the local community.
BP and responders’ actions led to the spill being contained to a relatively small area. In addition, responders conducted community air monitoring and water sampling to make sure both were safe for the community, and that public health was protected. During the cleanup, responders found several dead, oiled wildlife: ducks, a bird, a beaver and a vole.
Ecology is penalizing the pipeline owner and operator for unlawful discharge of pollution into waters of the state and negligence. Gasoline is toxic, flammable, and gives off strong vapors when it evaporates. When spilled, it can coat wildlife, impairing fish, birds and other creatures quickly.
While this spill impacted wildlife, waters of the state, and the local community, there was a robust response that reduced environmental impacts and kept public health at the forefront.
The $3.8 million penalty is the second issued to the pipeline in the last five years. The pipeline was fined $100,000 for a 2020 leak that released 67 gallons of diesel fuel. A 1999 spill on the pipeline that released more than a quarter-million gallons of gasoline and caused three deaths, occurred under a previous ownership structure. The 1999 spill resulted in Shell paying $5 million in penalties and the Olympic Pipe Line company paying $2.5 million.
The current spill response on the Olympic Pipeline near Everett is ongoing, and Ecology has not made a determination whether a penalty will be issued for that incident.
BP and the Olympic Pipe Line Company have 30 days to appeal the penalty to the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board.