Crews Prevent Threat to Area's Drinking Water

Last week, 126,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into a cove of Pyramid Lake, 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles along Interstate 5. Named for a nearby triangular rock carved by engineers building the old Highway 99, the lake is a popular recreational spot in the Angeles National Forest, but it also provides drinking water. Workers are now racing to clean up the spill.

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Question: Where did the oil come from?

Answer: A pipeline near the lake carries 2.5 million gallons a day of San Joaquin Valley light crude from wells in Kern County to refineries in the South Bay. When a landslide ruptured the 14-inch pipe March 23, oil spilled down a natural culvert and into the lake's Posey Cove, coating about 4,500 feet of shoreline.

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Q: Who owns the pipeline?

A: Pacific Energy Partners owns the pipeline through a subsidiary. Based in Long Beach, Pacific Energy is a publicly traded company that transports, stores and distributes crude oil in California, the Rocky Mountain region and Alberta, Canada.

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Q: Is the company taking responsibility for the spill?

A: Yes. It is participating in the cleanup with state and federal teams, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mark Reese, the company's director of environment and safety, said the landslide was probably caused by recent rains that loosened the hillsides. He said hundreds of slides have occurred in the area, but this was the first to break a pipeline.

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Q: Has any drinking water been contaminated?

A: Officials say no, because crews were able to contain the oil in Posey Cove before it could spread. Water from the lake normally flows south through Pyramid Dam and down into the 7.2-mile Angeles Tunnel, part of the State Water Project's West Branch, before passing through hydroelectric turbines at a Castaic power plant and settling into Castaic Lake. There the water passes through a treatment plant before being piped to retailers serving residents and businesses in Southern California.

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Q: Was any wildlife hurt?

A: On Tuesday, two ducks were found dead. In addition, at least two ducks, a coot and a seabird have been spotted with oiled feathers. The California Department of Fish and Game hired the Oiled Wildlife Care Network to oversee the rescue and cleaning of any oiled animals.

Network spokesman Greg Massey said feathers serve as insulation and keep cold water away from a duck's skin. "When their feathers are oiled, water can easily seep through the feather coat," Massey said. "It's like a hole in a dry suit."