Rail service halted after propane leak outside Iowa City

A propane leak shut down rail service in eastern Johnson County for about six hours on Tuesday.

Rick Rainey, spokesman for Enterprise Products, which owns Mid-America Pipeline Company, 5354 American Legion Road SE, said a leak on an above ground flange was discovered Tuesday morning. Rainey said the pipeline feeds from underground storage tanks to Mid-America's truck terminal three miles away.

The impacted pipeline was shut down and the excess propane was flared off so repairs could be made. The repairs are anticipated to be finished on Wednesday.

Rainey said no propane left the site, no injuries were reported and rail service was suspended for about six hours. Kevin Baskins, public information officer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said they were notified about the incident, but won't be investigating.

"They did what they were supposed to do," Baskins said.