MagicMtnDan
03-24-2005, 06:56 AM
Crews Work To Clean Up Oil Spill In Pyramid Lake
PYRAMID LAKECalif. - Cleanup crews were deployed Thursday to recover oil that spilled from a ruptured pipeline into northern Los Angeles County's Pyramid Lake.
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0324/4313011_320X240.jpg
A landslide damaged the 14-inch high-pressure oil pipeline Wednesday, causing 126,000 gallons of crude -- 3,000 barrels -- to spill into the lake, said Aubrye Harris of Pacific Energy Partners, the Long Beach company that owns the pipeline. The lake, 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, is home to many species of birds and fish, including bass and trout, and offers many popular fishing spots.
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0324/4312937_200X150.jpg
Cleanup crews were at the scene Thursday morning, waiting for dawn to resume cleanup efforts in earnest. "We have people that will be there pretty much around the clock. But the main clean up effort will start at sunup" this morning, Harris said. The spill was reported at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday, according to Inspector John Mancha of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The rupture was about a quarter-mile from the lake. The oil got into a creek, which flows under the Golden State (5) Freeway into the lake, said fire Capt. Mark Savage.
One freeway lane in both directions remained closed near Vista Del Lago, said Officer Alex Gonzalez of the California Highway Patrol.
County firefighters and personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, the state Fish and Game Department and Pacific Energy Co. were sent to the scene Wednesday.
Authorities hoped to keep the spillage confined within a five-acre cove in the lake, but some oil began to "feed out," Savage said. However, the spill was entirely contained Wednesday night, Harris said, and the work to come, possibly taking weeks, will focus on recovery and cleanup.
Although Pyramid Lake is part of the State Water Project, which provides drinking water to the Los Angeles basin, state officials "do not believe (the spill) poses a threat to our drinking water," Savage said. Water districts in the area have been informed about the spill, Savage said.
The pipeline goes from Bakersfield to Los Angeles.
The release was caused by a landslide resulting from the recent heavy rainfall. The pipeline was immediately shut down and the spill location isolated by closing valves to minimize the amount of oil released, Harris said.
Containment booms were in place to isolate and contain the oil, Harris said.
No human or wildlife injuries have been reported, Harris said. A representative of the Fish and Game Department said it would be days before it is known how the wildlife was affected by the oil spill.
Pacific Energy transports, stores and distributes crude oil and other related products in California and the Rocky Mountain region, including Alberta, Canada.
PYRAMID LAKECalif. - Cleanup crews were deployed Thursday to recover oil that spilled from a ruptured pipeline into northern Los Angeles County's Pyramid Lake.
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0324/4313011_320X240.jpg
A landslide damaged the 14-inch high-pressure oil pipeline Wednesday, causing 126,000 gallons of crude -- 3,000 barrels -- to spill into the lake, said Aubrye Harris of Pacific Energy Partners, the Long Beach company that owns the pipeline. The lake, 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, is home to many species of birds and fish, including bass and trout, and offers many popular fishing spots.
http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0324/4312937_200X150.jpg
Cleanup crews were at the scene Thursday morning, waiting for dawn to resume cleanup efforts in earnest. "We have people that will be there pretty much around the clock. But the main clean up effort will start at sunup" this morning, Harris said. The spill was reported at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday, according to Inspector John Mancha of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The rupture was about a quarter-mile from the lake. The oil got into a creek, which flows under the Golden State (5) Freeway into the lake, said fire Capt. Mark Savage.
One freeway lane in both directions remained closed near Vista Del Lago, said Officer Alex Gonzalez of the California Highway Patrol.
County firefighters and personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, the state Fish and Game Department and Pacific Energy Co. were sent to the scene Wednesday.
Authorities hoped to keep the spillage confined within a five-acre cove in the lake, but some oil began to "feed out," Savage said. However, the spill was entirely contained Wednesday night, Harris said, and the work to come, possibly taking weeks, will focus on recovery and cleanup.
Although Pyramid Lake is part of the State Water Project, which provides drinking water to the Los Angeles basin, state officials "do not believe (the spill) poses a threat to our drinking water," Savage said. Water districts in the area have been informed about the spill, Savage said.
The pipeline goes from Bakersfield to Los Angeles.
The release was caused by a landslide resulting from the recent heavy rainfall. The pipeline was immediately shut down and the spill location isolated by closing valves to minimize the amount of oil released, Harris said.
Containment booms were in place to isolate and contain the oil, Harris said.
No human or wildlife injuries have been reported, Harris said. A representative of the Fish and Game Department said it would be days before it is known how the wildlife was affected by the oil spill.
Pacific Energy transports, stores and distributes crude oil and other related products in California and the Rocky Mountain region, including Alberta, Canada.