‘This is a first,’ Oil spews into the air in OKC after line hit during construction
Update, 9/26, 1:30 p.m.
The City of Oklahoma City says crews sealed the pipe between 1:30 – 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Now, authorities are working to remove the oil on the ground and in the soil, as well as flushing the storm drains.
Original Story – 9/25, 5:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – ‘Black Gold’ spewed into the air for hours Monday, causing environmental concerns and a big mess in northwest Oklahoma City.
“Now I know what it looks like when you drill for oil and you hit it,” said Steve Taylor, who lives nearby.
Emergency crews respond to broken oil line in Oklahoma City
‘Texas tea’ shot into the sky, near NW 178th and Portland around 10:45 a.m. Monday
“For me, this is a first,” said Chief Andrew McCann with OKC Fire Dept.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission said the crude oil line runs from Midland, Texas, to Cushing.
The line, at a neighborhood under development, was hit by a bulldozer working on a new road. The oil ran off into a culvert and some into a storm drain.
“It’s probably blowing thirty feet in the air,” said Taylor.
Taylor lives across the street. He saw the breaking news on the television and went outside to get a better vantage point.
“I was concerned at first, because it was flowing towards my house, but then when I got up on the mound of dirt and saw that they had built quite a dike around it,” said Taylor. “I knew then that they had it under control.”
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Oklahoma City fire crews said they couldn’t even begin to estimate how much oil was spilled.
“All I can say is it is very significant,” said McCann.
Trucks came in to suck out as much oil as possible, while crews worked to turn off valves several miles away.
“Once the process does get shut off, it will take time for the system to bleed down and the excess oil to flow through the through the leak,” said McCann.
The city said the nearby neighborhood and drinking water will not be affected. Their main concerns are environmental and infrastructure.
“It’s going to be have a negative impact to the environment, not just the ground and into the storm water, but also to the wildlife,” said McCann.
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They added the clean up will take days.
“I imagine it will be a lot of soil recovery and some flushing of the storm drainage system,” said OKC Environmental Protection Superintendent, Derek Johnson.
“They will have to come in here and literally mitigate the soil and take it out and put back fresh soil,” said McCann.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission sent News 4 the following statement:
The oil transportation line struck today in North Oklahoma City runs from Cushing to Midland Texas. It is a large line, 16 inches in diameter. As it is an interstate line, it is under the jurisdiction of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a federal agency. The line is still blowing down, so there is no estimate yet on the amount spilled. It is our understanding that the line was hit by an excavation operator working on a new road for a development under construction. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission Pipeline Safety Department is investigating from the standpoint of Oklahoma regulations regarding excavation and pipeline damage. The Corporation Commission‘s Oil and Gas Conservation Division is responsible for ensuring the area is remediated properly.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission
The company that owns the pipeline also sent KFOR the following:
A contractor for the developer of the subdivision hit one of our crude lines this morning and caused a leak. We have shut in the line, however, there is residual product coming out of the line. We are working quickly as possible to stop the leak. We have dispatched specialized crews to contain the product that is out of the line and begin the cleanup process. All regulatory notifications have been made. We will provide updates as information becomes available.
Energy Transfer, pipeline company
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