HOUSTON, June 13 (Reuters) - A pipeline carrying mid-grade crude oil to Chevron Corp's 45,000 barrel per day (bpd) Salt Lake City refinery was shut on Saturday after leaking oil into a creek that feeds Utah's Great Salt Lake, said a fire department spokesman on Sunday.
'We're estimating 500 barrels were spilled,' said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag in a telephone interview.
A Chevron spokesman was not immediately available to discuss refinery operations.
Freitag said the department did not receive notice from the refinery that it shutting production units due to the pipeline shutdown.
Temporary dams were built along Red Butte Creek to prevent the crude from spreading further.
Chevron told the fire department it would take several weeks to clean the oil from all the waterways it might have spread into, Freitag said.
Red Butte Creek is one of a system of waterways that feeds the Jordan River, which supplies the Great Salt Lake.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
((erwin.seba@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8508; Reuters Messaging: erwin.seba.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: REFINERY OPERATIONS/CHEVRON SALTLAKECITY (For help: Click 'Contact Us' in your desk top, click here or call 1-800-738-8377 for Reuters Products and 1-888-463-3383 for Thomson products; For client training: training.americas@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646-223-5546) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
'We're estimating 500 barrels were spilled,' said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag in a telephone interview.
A Chevron spokesman was not immediately available to discuss refinery operations.
Freitag said the department did not receive notice from the refinery that it shutting production units due to the pipeline shutdown.
Temporary dams were built along Red Butte Creek to prevent the crude from spreading further.
Chevron told the fire department it would take several weeks to clean the oil from all the waterways it might have spread into, Freitag said.
Red Butte Creek is one of a system of waterways that feeds the Jordan River, which supplies the Great Salt Lake.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
((erwin.seba@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8508; Reuters Messaging: erwin.seba.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: REFINERY OPERATIONS/CHEVRON SALTLAKECITY (For help: Click 'Contact Us' in your desk top, click here or call 1-800-738-8377 for Reuters Products and 1-888-463-3383 for Thomson products; For client training: training.americas@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646-223-5546) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.