The order extends a mile around the site of the rupture at 417 FM-20. The roadway is expected to remain closed into Friday as authorities work to contain the spill.
According to local emergency management officials, a maintenance contractor struck the pipeline just before 9 a.m. Thursday. An estimated 50,000 gallons of oil leaked out of the ruptured pipeline.
PHOTOS: Oil spill in Bastrop County
Magellan, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has shut off the pipeline and cleanup has begun at the site.
Nobody has been injured in connection with the incident.
A shelter for those impacted by the evacuation has opened at the River Valley Christian Fellowship at 1224 Highway 71. The shelter is not accepting pets.
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HOUSTON (Reuters) - A crude oil pipeline operated by Magellan Midstream Partners ruptured near Bastrop, Texas, on Thursday morning, spilling an estimated 1,200 barrels of oil and prompting an evacuation, the company said.
No injuries were reported, Magellan said in a statement.
Magellan's Longhorn Pipeline, which transports crude oil from Crane, Texas to Houston, ruptured about 4 miles (6 km)southwest of Bastrop. The company shut the pipeline and isolated the affected segment, it said.
People within a two-mile (3-km) radius of the spill were advised to remain indoors, the sheriff's department and local emergency officials said. Several families near the site of the pipeline break were temporarily evacuated, and part of a nearby road was closed, the company said.
The pipeline was ruptured when a contractor doing maintenance work hit a fitting, Magellan said. The line was in service at the time.
Emergency responders, company representatives, environmental agencies and clean-up crews were at the site, the company said.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said in an email that it had dispatched an inspector to the site.
The Longhorn Pipeline has the capacity to transport to transport 275,000 barrels of day of oil from West Texas to the Houston area.
Crude oil prices in West Texas slid following news of the event. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at Midland, Texas, fell to about a $1.45 a barrel discount, off around 15 cents a barrel from Wednesday, traders said.
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More than 50,000 gallons crude oil spills in Bastrop County
KVUE 4:37 PM. CDT July 13, 2017
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas -- Authorities say an excavator cut a crude oil pipeline four miles southwest of Bastrop on Thursday morning, forcing nearby residents to evacuate or shelter in place.
County officials said the line was ruptured sometime after 8:30 a.m. July 13 near 417 FM 20, which is just south of Shiloh Road. In a statement, Magellan Midstream Partners, the company that owns the Longhorn pipeline, said a contractor was conducting maintenance on the system when it ruptured.
The company's preliminary estimate is that 1,200 barrels or 50,400 gallons spilled in the release. KVUE's Tina Shively reported the pipeline carries oil from Port Aransas to El Paso.
FM 20 has been closed in both directions, and authorities said residents within one mile of the rupture have been asked to evacuate. Those evacuated can go to the River Valley Christian Fellowship Church located along Texas 71.
The pipeline company said efforts are being made to minimize the environmental impact and public safety. No injuries have been reported, according to Magellan representatives.
Authorities estimated early Thursday afternoon that cleaning up the spill would take around eight hours.
Read the full statement from Magellan Midstream Partners below:
Shortly before 9 a.m. CST this morning, a contractor working on Magellan’s Longhorn pipeline system struck a fitting on the pipeline approximately 4 miles southwest of Bastrop, TX causing a release. The incident occurred when the contractor was conducting maintenance activities on the pipeline, which was in service at the time. The preliminary volume estimate of the release is 1,200 barrels. The pipeline was immediately and safely shut down and the line segment has been isolated.
Efforts are in progress to contain the crude oil release to minimize environmental impact and to ensure public safety. As a safety precaution, several families near the site have temporarily evacuated and a section of FM 20 has been closed. There are no injuries associated with the incident.
Local emergency responders, Magellan representatives, clean-up crews, and environmental crews are currently on site. All appropriate federal and state agencies have been notified. Clean-up activities will be underway this morning.