April 29, 2004

Pipeline break spills diesel into S. F. Bay

From Mercury News: bq. In one of the Bay Area's largest oil spills of the past 20 years, a break in a pipeline was blamed Thursday for a spill that dumped up to 42,000 gallons of diesel fuel into Suisun Marsh, about five miles south of Fairfield. bq. Cleanup crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, along with private contractors, used absorbent pads and booms to limit the spill's impacts. The Coast Guard said the diesel had been contained in about 250 acres of the marsh, a key habitat for ducks and other wildlife, and was not expected to spread into San Francisco Bay. bq. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the pipeline's owner, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, based in Dallas, noticed a drop in pressure in the line, said Gene Braithwaite, Kinder's director of operations. Crews from the company did not find the break until midday Wednesday, he said. bq. Braithwaite estimated that up to 1,000 barrels of diesel, or 42,000 gallons, had spilled, although some authorities said the amount may be larger. Crap... They need beter monitoring then just sending someone around to look... Posted by DaveH at April 29, 2004 4:17 PM