BP estimates spill at 200 gallons

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said July 9 that a rupture occurred in a flow line at drill site 1 in the eastern operating area at Prudhoe Bay at 8:40 p.m. July 7. The rupture occurred over a reserve pit, and DEC said that BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. estimated that 200 gallons of crude oil sprayed onto water in the reserve pit and onto the gravel sides.

DEC said oily water is being collected from the reserve pit in a vacuum truck and the oiled travel is being excavated.

The release occurred with an unknown amount of gas under pressure and wind carried some of the oil onto the tundra. BP estimated that 5.5 acres of tundra was misted, including some standing water in the tundra. The sheen is being removed from the standing water with sorbent material.

The oil on the tundra will be removed by burning the grass with a weed burner. An area 80 feet by 150 feet was burned before a shift in the winds caused the operation to be shut down.

The flow line was shut in and the reserve pit will be completely dewatered and a scaffolding will be built so that the ruptured area of the pipeline can be examined. Burning operations will be continued as weather permits.