Crude Oil Spills Into Los Angeles Drinking Water Reservoir

[illflem]

By Nicholas Shields, Times Staff Writer

A landslide caused an oil pipeline to rupture Wednesday, spilling 126,000 gallons of crude oil into Pyramid Lake, a reservoir in northern Los Angeles County that holds drinking water for the metropolitan area.

It was unlikely the drinking supply was contaminated, state water officials said, but a connector that sends water into nearby Castaic Lake to generate power was closed as a precaution.

"There should not be any impact," said Arthur G. Diefenbach, a senior vice president for Pacific Energy Partners, which owns the pipeline.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-oil24mar24,1,5269656.story?coll=la-news-environment

not contaminated???????

[Kagemusha]

1. They probably left something out like 'beyond safe levels'

If it's less than a drop in a bucket ratio-wise then, well, it's not good, but it's not the end of the world.

Unfortunately, can't really give off the usual rants about corporate greed when it comes down to something caused by a landslide, not some busted valve that wasn't maintained or anything...

[Jamastiene]

4. Ah, but

aren't they supposed to keep their equipment up to standards that will withstand a quake? Building codes out that way require quake resistant building standards. Mudslides are common enough too, that they should have standards. Of course, the Bush administration wouldn't enforce them. They only enforce some laws if it is to their advantage.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Scenario..... I have oh, I don't know... say a plant that manufactures

propane. I put ALL OF MY TANKS within 50 feet of one another on a remote section of the property (20 acres). Much of the rest of the property stands pretty much empty. The closeness of the tanks meant that I was able to save $5000 on piping.

One of my tanks has an accident and catches fire, (explodes in the process). My other 19 tanks go down with it. I lose 10 million, the insurance industry jacks up their rates for businesses such as mine, and I go bankrupt.

Now, that $5000 seems like such a small thing, seeing that it led to all this.

Point, this sort of thing goes on ALL THE TIME, people don't think, they don't plan, they don't consider ALL OF THE POSSIBILITIES before coming out with something like, "Hey, I know... let's do this". Never, never, never place things that you don't want in your drinking water upstream, (uphill) from where your drinking water is stored.

Planning for the improbable, will make it so you don't have to deal with the fallout from the unlikely.

[dave123williams]

2. Note the lack of language that says...

"There has BEEN no impact." Pacific Energy Partners; they dissemble with the best of them...

[Jamastiene]

3. Don't ask them.

They'll give you the p.p.m (parts per million) bit and try to convince you everything is okay. Remember the arsenic in the drinking water controversy that they swore up and down wasn't a controversy? Meanwhile, anyone with an ounze of common sense will use bottled drinking water for a while at least. I see you've already seen through their tired lies. Bravo!

[regnaD kciN]

5. L.A. Water & Power responds...

...by raising water rates by 30%.

;-)

[Hekate]

6. Not to worry, the perchlorate probably got there first

There's a plume of rocket fuel contaminant in the underground aquifers, gradually heading toward LA. (based on an article I read in the Los Angeles Times a couple of years ago -- they had a map and everything)

Gads, modern urban life is a treat, isn't it?

Hekate