150 barrels of crude oil removed from Texas City ditch that flows into Galveston Bay • Officials: Cleanup of Texas City oil spill may continue into February One week since Texas City officials discovered a spill of crude oil from an oil pumping station on the city’s west side, more than 150 barrels (6,300 gallons) of crude oil had been removed from Moses Bayou, officials confirmed on Monday (1/1/2024). Officials are still unsure how much crude oil was discharged from a faulty oil-water separator at the site. Nor have they confirmed how long oil was spilling from the site. Since Tuesday (12/26/2023), multiple state, federal, and local agencies have coordinated the cleanup, said Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson. The spill was first detected Christmas Day when residents near the oil facility called Texas City officials to complain about a strong oil odor, Tumbleson said. After hours of searching for the source, officials found the oil came from a faulty oil-water separator at a small oil facility on Century Boulevard near Moses Bayou. Tumbleson said his office alerted the facility’s owner, Sawtooth Oil and Gas, of the spill. It was unconfirmed how long oil had been coming out of the facility, Tumbleson said. He said company officials explained that the unmanned facility had an issue with its oil-water separator that caused an overflow. The small facility where the oil spilled is about 200 feet from the drainage ditch/Moses Bayou. Tumbleson said the oil coming from the spill is sweet crude oil. While maps refer to the waterway as a bayou, it is a drainage ditch (Ditch No. 6). It is the longest drainage ditch maintained by Galveston County Drainage District No. 2. It stretches from the Lago Mar subdivision eastward behind Mainland Center Centre and eastward to Moses Lake in Texas City. The oil spill site is near Century Boulevard, and the waterway flows past four subdivisions. Tumbleson said the oil in the water stretches about half a mile from Century Blvd. to state Highway 3. Thus far, harm to wildlife has been minimal. Janie Acevedo-Beauchamp of the Environmental Protection Agency said as of Saturday, a blue heron that was rescued from the spill but later died. A dead Belted Kingfisher was also found, Acevedo-Beauchamp said. There have been no other confirmed reports of adverse effects on wildlife. Texas Game Wardens are monitoring the area to track any wildlife impact. The waterway does not intersect or flow into the Gulf Coast Water Authority’s nearby freshwater supply canals. Records show as well that there are about 180 people who live within a 1/4-mile radius of the spill site. But the drainage ditch/Moses Bayou flows within yards of several subdivisions. Residents have complained of the heavy odor of oil, but there are no confirmed reports of any medical calls to the area because of exposure. Tumbleson said he was confident the oil collection booms stationed at Highway 3 stopped any oil from making it to the more sensitive wetlands area between Highway 3 and state Highway 146. Attempts to reach Sawtooth management were unsuccessful over the holiday weekend. State records show the company owns or operates 18 small sites in Galveston County. Aside from the heavy smell of oil, air monitoring in the area has found no indications of harmful levels of chemicals in the air.

Posted by i45NOW Joey at 2024-01-01 22:36:13 UTC