http://www.vcstar.com/news/local/ventura/more-oil-spilled-in-ventura-barranca-than-initially-believed-3728a273-59cc-1271-e053-0100007f587a-386083421.html
[The old familiar refrain:
the spill was reported by someone other than the oil pipeline operator
the initial estimate was low, and a later estimate was higher
operations resumed without notifying those living near by
there is no time-line for cleaning up the spill ... ]
By Arlene Martinez
Crimson Pipeline officials have revised the number of gallons thought to
have leaked from a pipeline into a Ventura barranca on June 23.
The company estimates roughly 45,000 gallons spilled down a steep canyon
slope not far from Ventura High School, according to the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Initial estimates pegged the number closer to 30,000 gallons.
It's not unusual for estimates to change as cleanup efforts yield
increasingly more of the substance. The number could change again,
pending the conclusion of the investigation, officials said.
"As oily debris is recovered during the cleanup, it is categorized and
prepared to be analyzed and quantified," Amy Norris, a spokeswoman with
Fish and Wildlife, the lead agency on the spill, wrote in an email.
"When a confirmed amount of recovered oil is available, Unified Command
will release those totals."
A city resident who lives near the spill first reported the oil oozing
down Prince Barranca and Hall Canyon around 5:30 a.m. June 23, and
Crimson remotely stopped the pipeline. Although emergency responders
initially feared it might reach the ocean, they quickly stopped the
oil's flow.
A company hired by Crimson, the Center for Toxicology and Environmental
Health, has monitored for vapors from the spill and said the air in the
vicinity does not pose a health risk to residents.
"Continuing air monitoring indicates the air is safe to breathe, and an
air monitoring report is available on the CalSpillWatch website," Norris
wrote.
Fish and Wildlife, the state Fire Marshal's Office and Ventura County
District Attorney's Office are jointly investigating the cause of the
leak. It originated at a valve that had been replaced the day before by
a contractor, Crimson previously said.
"There is no timeline on an investigation. The results of the
investigation could lead to an enforcement action by the District
Attorney," Norris wrote.
Crimson reopened the pipeline the night of June 30 after the Fire
Marshal's Office certified that doing so would be safe.
The company didn't let the city or residents know it would be resuming
operations, which didn't go over well with either. The city on the next
day subpoenaed all records related to the spill and requested that the
company immediately shut down the pipeline.
Crimson has until July 18 to comply with the subpoena. It does not plan
to shut down the pipeline because of contracts it must satisfy.
"We are continuing to work with our state and local government partners
toward our common end goals, and we remain committed to acting
transparently and including the community during that process," Crimson
spokeswoman Kendall Klingler wrote in an email Friday.
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