The State : Oil Transport Line Bursts

A Texaco oil pipeline leading from the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area burst near Los Banos, spilling 420,000 gallons of crude oil. But state Fish and Game officials and private property owners said the spill probably has not caused permanent damage. A biologist with the state Fish and Game Department said Texaco would not be fined for the spill because it responded quickly and conducted an adequate cleanup. The underground pipeline, running from the Coalinga oil fields to refineries in Martinez, burst, and oil flowed about 1.3 miles down the dry bed of Salt Creek. California Fish and Game biologist Mike Mulligan said there will not be any permanent damage because there was no vegetation in the creek bed. Texaco said about 60 workers and nearly 100 truck and trailer rigs and tankers took part in the cleanup.