Texaco Says It Never Concealed Massive ’93 Spill : Ventura: Attorney repeats position that the firm is not convinced the gas condensate belongs to the oil company.

Texaco executives on Thursday strongly denied charges that the company failed to report the extent of a massive spill of gasoline-like liquid at its lease north of Ventura in School Canyon.

“Texaco at no time has concealed anything with respect to this site,” said Robert Fuller, an attorney for the oil company.

The spill came to light last week when prosecutors served a search warrant at a Texaco facility in Ventura, looking for documents to support allegations that the company failed to report the extent of its January, 1993, spill.

On Thursday, Fuller also denied allegations by state wildlife officials that the company probably knew about the magnitude of the spill because it repaired a broken pipeline near the spill, estimated at 370,000 gallons.

That pipeline was repaired in 1989 or 1990 after a worker discovered a mist of gas condensate spraying from a small crack, Fuller said. A rubber clamp was placed around the crack and a 100-foot older section of the pipeline was replaced the next day, he said.

Fuller said the pipeline’s low capacity would have made it nearly impossible for 370,000 gallons of gas condensate to escape from the pipeline. Also, since the spill was reported by Texaco in January, 1993, the pipeline has been pressure-tested three times and found to have no leaks, Fuller said.

Thursday’s press conference by Texaco was the latest twist in a series of spills in Ventura County in recent months. Even as Fuller was making Texaco’s statement in Ventura, a deputy district attorney confirmed that another oil-related spill has been uncovered in the county.

An Oxnard refinery allowed oil and other petroleum products to leak into the ground at least four times last year, endangering the ecologically sensitive Mugu Lagoon, prosecutor Gregory Brose said.

Oxnard Refinery Co. officials knew the spills were illegal but allowed them to continue, Brose said. Officials are not sure how much crude oil and diluent were released over the four-month period, but believe it could amount to more than 10,000 gallons.

The district attorney’s office filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Tenby Inc. and Hailwood Inc., which jointly own and manage the refinery at 3450 E. 5th St., Brose said. Also named is Morley Chase, the chief executive officer of both corporations, Brose said.

The suit came about after a yearlong investigation into the refinery’s practices by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, working with state wildlife and water officials, he said.

In the lawsuit, prosecutors contend that refinery officials broke state and federal laws by allowing crude oil and a liquid used as petroleum thinner to flow into soil, ground water and an irrigation ditch near the plant.

The suit also alleges unfair business practices as a result of the discharges and seeks up to $110,000 in penalties against the company. Prosecutors also want an injunction ordering Tenby to stop the toxic discharges, Brose said.

The company has 30 days to respond to the March 4 lawsuit, Brose said. Calls Thursday to Chase seeking a response to the allegations were not returned.

In the Texaco spill, statements by state wildlife officials outline the basis for a criminal investigation. In a court affidavit filed earlier this week, Fish and Game Warden Holly Ethridge said her investigation showed that Texaco knew the pipeline was leaking fuel and tried to conceal it.

Ethridge cited the patched pipeline in supporting her findings, saying company officials initially denied knowledge of the pipeline or its repair. She also said company officials should have noticed the loss in its daily “pumping logs.”

The pipeline pumped gas condensate--a highly toxic and flammable liquid--from one Texaco facility to another.

But Fuller said Thursday that no discrepancy in the logs had been noticed by Texaco. Company officials believe the spill was “very old,” occurring over several years, rather than a sudden rupture.

Although Fuller again stated the company’s position that it is not convinced the spilled gas condensate belongs to Texaco, he acknowledged the oil giant is prepared to spend up to $1.5 million to clean up the site.

Company officials said they believe they have contained the contaminated soil and underground water so that none of it will run into School Canyon Creek, which feeds into the Ventura River.

In the past three months, two other oil-related spills and leaks have been discovered in the county.

In late December, 84,000 gallons of thick crude oil flowed into McGrath Lake near Oxnard. And earlier this month, a 30,000-gallon mixture of light crude oil and water flowed from a Unocal oil lease into the Adams Canyon Barranca in Santa Paula.

Fish and Game Capt. Roger Reese said Thursday the powerful storm that hit Ventura County Thursday will have no significant effect on any of the oil spills. The School Canyon spill has been shored up with containment devices to prevent any problems, and cleanup at the Adams Barranca spill is nearly complete, he said.

The discharges found at the Oxnard refinery are underground and are not migrating in any direction, he said.