50K GALLONS OF OIL SPILLED IN BASTROP COUNTY
Accident in Bastrop County forces 15 families to evacuate.
Environmental and oil and gas specialists went into overdrive Thursday to clean more than 50,000 gallons of crude oil that spilled in southwestern Bastrop County when a contractor struck a crude oil pipeline while conducting routine maintenance work.
The spill forced 15 families to evacuate the area around FM 20 and Shiloh Road, about 4 miles southwest of Bastrop.
According to Magellan Midstream Partners, which owns the Longhorn pipeline, one of its contractors struck a fitting about 9:20 a.m., causing about 1,200 barrels of crude oil to spill into the surrounding area.
The pipeline was immediately shut down, Magellan said, and the spill was isolated.
“There are approximately 100 representatives on site now, including emergency responders, environmental cleanup crews, local, state and federal employees, along with Magellan-employees,” Magellan spokesperson Tom Byers said at a news conference Thursday evening. “Cleanup will continue throughout the night and as long as it takes to make sure that we have all the crude oil picked up.”
On Thursday, the company sent vacuum trucks to thearea to remove the spilled oil and planned to conduct excavations to remove and replace the affected soil, Magellan said.
None of the oil reached any Bastrop County water sources, according to officials.
Bastrop County emergency officials evacuated residents and business owners within a 1-mile radius of the spill.
Nora Reyes, 36, who lives a few blocks from site with her four children, said she awoke early in the morning to the sound of banging on her door and a strong smell of gasoline. Bastrop County sheriff ’s deputies told her she had to leave immediately.
Reyes was scared and confused,
she said in Spanish.
By Thursday afternoon, she was huddled with her children at the River Valley Fellowship Church in Bastrop, where residents were told they could take shelter to wait out the cleanup.
“I am sad because we can’t go back to our home, and we have animals there,” Reyes said, holding her throat indicating she’d been coughing when she smelled the oil.
By 5 p.m., all residents were allowed to return to their homes.
“All costs incurred by residents due to the evacuation will be reimbursed by Magellan,” the company said in a statement.
Emergency officials didn’t say what kind of safety risks were posed by the spill but indicated that there could be a danger from inhaling the fumes and a fire risk since crude oil is flammable.
No one was injured in the incident, officials said.
Magellan said in an emailed statement that it was making every effort to minimize the environmental impact and ensure public safety.
The Longhorn pipeline carries crude oil from the Permian Basin in West Texas to the Houston area, Byers said. Repairs to the pipeline will begin later this week, he said.
Bastrop County emergency officials said they would be monitoring the area by air overnight. FM 20 between Shiloh and Walter Hoffman roads was expected to remain closed until Friday morning.