State Probe Finds 370,000-Gallon Toxic Spill : Environment: Officials say oil byproduct leaked from a ruptured Texaco pipeline near School Canyon Road north of Ventura.

A yearlong investigation by state officials has uncovered a 370,000-gallon leak of a toxic oil byproduct, a spill believed to be among the largest oil-related accidents in Ventura County history, authorities said Wednesday.

Officials with the state Department of Fish and Game said they believe that gas condensate--a byproduct that occurs when oil is converted into gasoline--leaked from a ruptured Texaco pipeline near School Canyon Road near the company’s Ventura County headquarters. The spill was first reported as a minor accident in January, 1993.

Investigators from the state and the Ventura County district attorney’s office obtained a search warrant this week in an effort to find out how quickly Texaco reported the leak and what was done to stop it.

Authorities said the spill north of Ventura is believed to be far larger than the Jan. 17 spill of 215,000 gallons of crude into the Santa Clara River and a spill of 84,000 gallons of oil into a lake near McGrath State Beach that was discovered at Christmas.

State investigators said they do not yet know how much of the 370,000 gallons has leaked into School Canyon Creek, a seasonally dry stream that feeds into the Ventura River.

They believe that much of the gas condensate may still be contained within a small area of soil in the canyon. No dead or injured wildlife has been found, authorities said.

“Our guess is that (the spill) lay dormant for some time,” said Reed Smith, a pollution response coordinator for Fish and Game. “Then, with the high rains last year, it was carried to the surface of School Canyon Creek and into the Ventura River.”

After Municipal Judge Bruce A. Clark issued the search warrant Monday, nearly 30 investigators spent Tuesday and Wednesday sifting through records at Texaco U.S.A.’s exploration and production area headquarters at 2692 N. Ventura Ave., authorities said.

Their search of a dozen buildings was scheduled to resume this morning.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory Brose said investigators are looking for evidence of two possible felony violations relating to the discharge of hazardous substances into waterways.

“Fish and Game worked on this for about a year and finally came to the conclusion that there was evidence indicating a potential for a felony violation,” he said.

“There could be individual liability on the part of individual employees,” Brose said. “There could be liability on the part of Texaco. Or there could be no liability.”

A spokeswoman for Texaco said the company reported the spill promptly to state authorities and has “cooperated fully” in trying to clean up the site.

“We are dismayed by the D. A.’s and Fish and Game’s action, but are cooperating fully with the investigation,” Texaco spokeswoman Faye Cox said.

Cox said company officials are not convinced that Texaco was the source of the spill, but a state investigator said an analysis of the toxic substance showed that it did come from the company.

Investigators believe that the spill occurred when a pipeline on the company’s property ruptured.

After analyzing the spill, state investigators and a private consulting firm concluded that about 8,800 barrels of gas condensate seeped into a hillside before oozing into the creek, Fish and Game Capt. Roger Reese said.

Since the investigation began, he said, Texaco officials have “repeatedly denied previous knowledge of any spill in School Canyon” or of possessing any records related to pipelines in the area.

“When the department found a repaired pipeline, which we believe is the probable source of the spill, Texaco denied knowledge of any repair or records of repairs to that pipeline,” Reese said.

Smith said information on the leak was not released earlier because investigations by Fish and Game are kept confidential until the district attorney’s office is contacted.

Fish and Game officials said the spill is still being cleaned up and crews are pumping contaminated ground water from wells at the site.