Feb. 01--City officials said an oil and gas drilling company was working on containing a spill Friday, Jan. 31, in North Lubbock after a line feeding a saltwater disposal well ruptured.
Lubbock Fire Rescue hazardous materials crews responded to the spill about 8 a.m. at the intersection of Loyola Avenue and Interstate 27, according to Rob Keinast, LFR battalion chief.
About 17,000 gallons of salt water mixed with crude oil leaked out to the surface of a field, according to Victor Hernandez, Lubbock city councilman.
The saltwater disposal well is owned by Texland Petroleum, a Fort Worth-based oil company that operates 271 wells in Lubbock County, including more than 100 in the city, according to its website.
Company officials could not be reached for comment.
This salt water is a normal by-product during crude oil production, according to an LFR news release.
Hernandez said company representatives told him work to mend the ruptured line will start early next week. The company is waiting for utility crews to mark their lines before excavating the broken line, which is 3 feet to 4 feet underground, Hernandez said.
Keinast said no roads were closed and the company was working with representatives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Railroad Commission and the city to develop a cleanup plan.
"Texland representatives said they had already visited with the landowner, and so everybody's kind of in the loop and aware, and Texland is working to remedy the situation," he said.
-- 766-8707
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