8,400 Gallons of Crude Oil Spill From Pipeline
A leak in an underground transmission line spilled about 8,400 gallons of crude oil at Lebec in the Tehachapi Mountains before dawn Monday.
Mobil Oil Co. officials shut down the line carrying the oil over the mountains from Kern County fields to Los Angeles after receiving an automatic signal that there was a problem, said Steve Gage, Kern County Fire Department hazardous materials officer.
He estimated that the leak lasted “at least 45 minutes,” allowing about 200 barrels of oil to spill into storm drains along Lebec Road and next to Interstate 5. However, oil reportedly did not spill onto the highway.
Oil flowed down the storm drains for about three-fourths of a mile to Fort Tejon Campground.
The sides of the storm drains are concrete, but the floor is dirt, allowing some oil to seep into the ground, Gage said.
He added that a damage assessment was being conducted by the oil company, state Fish and Game officials and the Environmental Protection Agency. Crews were brought in to clean up the spill that began around 4 a.m.
The cause was being investigated.
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