Crews Work To Cleanup Oil Spill In Northwest Oklahoma City

Crews are focused on cleaning up the mess an oil geyser made Monday in northwest Oklahoma City. Officials say more than 80,000 gallons of oil spilled out onto the ground, creating a 30-foot geyser that spewed for multiple hours.

Sam Coury, a nearby landowner, was not too worried with the oil that made its way onto his land.

“We did catch some oil and some contamination,” Coury said. “We’re oil country. We have pipelines all across the state. From time to time, we’re going to have mishaps like this.”

One thing to thank for the containment of the spill was the quick response of crews.

“It’s been very efficient,” Coury said. “They were on it all night. They’re down now, probably removing the dirt, and that’s it.”

Removing the dirt is the first step, according to Matt Skinner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

“The contaminated soil is dug up and taken to a facility that is licensed to deal with such products,” Skinner said.

The same goes for the oil that leaked into the storm water drainage system.

“You flush it out with fresh water and then vacuum it up. That also goes to be disposed of in the proper facility,” Skinner said.

Skinner says Oklahoma law is clear on who is responsible for the cleanup efforts, regardless of liability.

“An operator, be it an operator of an oil and gas well, a pipeline, or anything of that sort, is responsible for the product,” Skinner said.

Energy Transfer is the oil company that is in charge of the cleanup effort, with the OCC’s oversight.

Officials say we won’t know the extent of the long-term environmental impact, if any, until the cleanup is done.