Chevron cited for oil spill in Salt Lake City

[Joanne98]

Source: AP

SALT LAKE CITY — State regulators have cited Chevron Corp. for a pipeline leak that spilled crude oil into a Salt Lake City creek.

The leak last month sent an estimated 33,000 gallons of oil into Red Butte Creek. Much of the oil pooled into a pond at the city's Liberty Park, and regulators say oil traveled downstream into the Jordan River.

The Utah Water Quality Board issued citations to Chevron on Tuesday for unauthorized release of a pollutant, releasing an "offensive" waste and violating water quality standards.

Regulators are waiting on Chevron's response before deciding whether to levy any fines that could start at $10,000 a day for as long as the waterways were polluted, said Walt Baker, director of the Utah Division of Water Quality. Violations can reach $25,000 a day for pollution discharges that are willful or the result of gross negligence, he said.

Baker planned to meet with Chevron officials Thursday.

Chevron spokesman Dan Johnson said Wednesday that the company had no comment on the citations. "We received the violations and will study them," he said.



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[GentryDixon]

1. A least they are working

without a media ban. I took this picture this week.