Yorba Linda : Crude Oil Overflows at Shell Co. Facility

Between 5,000 and 10,000 gallons of crude oil overflowed from a Shell Oil Co. storage facility early Friday and spilled into a flood control channel, a spokeswoman for the county Fire Department said.

The spill, which was contained by midday, is believed to have caused no serious environmental or health dangers, Fire Department spokeswoman Kathleen Cha said.

The spill occurred at a Shell plant at 4024 Valley View St. when crude oil being pumped from wells into storage tanks overflowed into a spill containment area, Cha said. Due to a power outage, a warning system malfunctioned and workers were unaware of the overflow, she said. The spill was noticed at about 6 a.m., she said.

The oil moved south along the channel into Placentia before it was contained, Cha said. The channel is largely concrete but has some areas of dirt and foliage, she said.

The crude oil posed “a low to zero flammability danger because of its high water content,” Cha said. Authorities also felt no need to evacuate plant workers or residents of the area, she said.

Workmen pumped water into the channel and used 14 vacuum trucks to siphon off the oil, Cha said.