Didn't know we had pipelines running through Salt Lake City until last weekend? Check out this map published by the SLTribune from USGS.
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SALT LAKE CITY -- Chevron oil crews have capped the site of a leak in an oil pipeline which was spilling oil into a Salt Lake City creek.
Though the site of the leak has been contained, officials estimate between 400 and 500 barrels of oil have already been released.
Scott Freitag, a spokesman with the Salt Lake City Fire Department, estimated close to 50 gallons per minute of crude oil were leaking into Red Butte Creek. Crews still aren't sure what caused the leak.
The leak is located near Red Butte Garden and Red Butte Canyon near the University of Utah.
"We've set up containment ponds all down the creek," said Freitag. "Our worry is that as the remaining oil flows through the line, it could get into the Jordan River and the Great Salt Lake."
The crude oil belongs to Chevron and comes from their Colorado pipeline, which runs down Emigration Canyon and heads west over Beck Street in Salt Lake City to the company refinery.
Chevron crews, firefighters, hazardous materials teams, and environmental crews are using sandbags and other sponge-type equipment in an attempt to contain the oil.
Chevron spokesman Dan Johnson said crews were able to cap the leak and are now working on cleaning up the crude oil that spilled into the water.
Chevron officials still aren't sure how the leak started or exactly what time the leak began.
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says drinking water for residents has not been affected.
"We are working tirelessly with Chevron teams to contain this spill from the critical ecological areas affected in our city," said Becker, who is heading to Salt Lake City from Oklahoma City where he was attending the National Conference of Mayors. "Our fire teams have capped the site and will work to determine the damage and best course of action."
Mayor Becker is asking for residents to stay away from Red Butte Canyon and Liberty Park so crews can adequately manage the spill, and says all water access points along Red Butte Creek, Liberty Park and the Jordan River should be avoided by humans and animals at this time.
Wildlife affected
Oil from the leak has coated dozens of birds who have made their home on the pond at Liberty Park. Among them are about 150 Canada Geese who were set to be moved to a bird refuge Sunday.
"Virtually every goose has some oil on it," said Tom Aldridge, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "A lot of them are just coated from about the water line, but there are a number of birds that started preening and have oil completely covering their bodies."
Aldridge said the birds will be captured and moved to holding areas at Hogle Zoo, where volunteers will be used to help clean them up.
The DWR moves migrating geese from the pond every year and takes them to more outlying wetlands. Aldridge showed up at the park Saturday morning when he smelled and saw the oil, then saw the birds.
"A number of young have been produced here and we're trying to make plans to get them to places that are a bit cleaner to live," he said.
Aldridge said oil has been detected in the Jordan River and as far away as the Farmington Bay Bird Refuge.
Emergency responders have placed oil-absorbing booms across the rivers and some waterways in hopes of containing the spill.
Frietag says the oil has also killed some fish in the waterways.
KSL is covering this story and will continue to bring you updates as we get new information.
Story compiled with contributions from Alex Cabrero and Marc Giauque.
I am currently a Product Strategist at iCrossing in charge of Business Intelligence. Formerly, I was the Manager of Advanced Analytics. I'm a marketer, mathematician, sociologist, student of the web, crafter of my own social network, amateur knitter and potter, people watcher, Red Cross disaster volunteer, and warrior against clutter.
I do all of this from Salt Lake City, UT. Don't knock it until you've lived here!
