TEXAS CITY, Texas – About 261 barrels of crude oil have been removed from a Texas City ditch following an oil spill, Texas City Emergency Management said on Tuesday.
The spill was found on Dec. 25 in the ditch that is also referred to as Moses Bayou. The oil was coming from an oil pumping station in the city’s west side that had a faulty oil-water separator.
Crews are continuing their efforts. They’re working on drainage ditch 6, and they hope to completely finish cleaning up by Feb. 15.
“Texas City Emergency Management, in partnership with local, county, state, and federal agencies, have continuously monitored the oil spill incident,” said Joe Tumbleson, Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator. “We are grateful to report that there has been no impact on Moses Lake, and no loss of containment has occurred. The leading edge of the spill remains just west of the Texas City golf course.”
Tumbleson said they have not detected unsafe air conditions or water conditions.
“All partners represented in the Emergency Operations Center concur that there has been no impact to area well water or to surface water that feeds into our drinking water system.”
People were also asked to avoid the affected area and wildlife.
Several agencies have responded to the spill such as: The Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM), the Texas General Land Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, Galveston County Emergency Management, Water Drainage District #2, the United States Coast Guard, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
Officials are still unsure how much crude oil was discharged from the faulty oil-water separator at the pumping station. They also have not confirmed how long oil was spilling from the site.
What happened
Since Dec. 26, multiple state, federal, and local agencies have coordinated the cleanup, said Texas City Emergency Management Coordinator Joe Tumbleson.
The spill was first detected Christmas Day when residents near the oil facility called Texas City officials to complain about a strong oil odor, Tumbleson said.
After hours of searching for the source, officials found the oil came from a faulty oil-water separator at a small oil facility on Century Boulevard near Moses Bayou.
Tumbleson said his office alerted the facility owner, Sawtooth Oil and Gas, of the spill.
It is not known how long oil had been coming out of the facility, Tumbleson said.
He said company officials explained that the unmanned facility had an issue with its oil-water separator that caused an overflow.
The small facility where the oil spilled is about 200 feet from the drainage ditch.
Tumbleson said the oil coming from the spill is sweet crude oil.
While maps refer to the waterway as a bayou, it is a drainage ditch (Ditch No. 6). It is the longest drainage ditch maintained by Galveston County Drainage District No. 2.
It stretches from the Lago Mar subdivision eastward behind Mainland City Centre and eastward to Moses Lake in Texas City.
The oil spill site is near Century Boulevard, and the waterway flows past four subdivisions. Tumbleson said the oil in the water stretches about half a mile from Century Blvd. to State Highway 3.
Thus far, harm to wildlife has been minimal.
Janie Acevedo-Beauchamp of the Environmental Protection Agency said as of Saturday, a blue heron was rescued from the spill, but later died.
A dead Belted Kingfisher was also found, Acevedo-Beauchamp said.
There have been no other confirmed reports of adverse effects on wildlife. Texas Game Wardens are monitoring the area to track any wildlife impact.
The waterway does not intersect or flow into the Gulf Coast Water Authority’s nearby freshwater supply canals.
Records show as well that there are about 180 people who live within a 1/4-mile radius of the spill site.
But the drainage ditch/Moses Bayou flows within yards of several subdivisions.
Residents have complained of the heavy odor of oil, but there are no confirmed reports of any medical calls to the area because of exposure.
Tumbleson said he was confident the oil collection booms stationed at Highway 3 stopped any oil from making it to the more sensitive wetlands area between Highway 3 and State Highway 146.
Aside from the heavy smell of oil, air monitoring in the area has found no indications of harmful levels of chemicals in the air.