The clean-up operation at Dry Creek is nearly complete after a more than 16,000-gallon diesel spill was reported earlier this week, an emergency official said Thursday.
By 10 a.m., leadership for the two contracted remedial teams hired by Atlas Oil Company, which owns the facility about a half-mile from the creek where the leak originated, reported 95% of the contaminated waters had been removed, said Rick McBrayer, Victoria County emergency management coordinator.
“The remaining diesel is in deep pockets near the middle of the creek,” McBrayer said, adding that more than 133,000 gallons of water have been extracted. “The immediate clean-up operations should be completed in just a few days.”
Investigations by county officials and multiple state agencies to determine the cause of the leakage are underway.
“Whether it was intentional, accidental or weather-related has not been determined by the investigation yet,” McBrayer said. “They have not ruled anything out.”
Atlas Oil Company released a public statement on Thursday describing the event.
“The tank was brought to our Victoria terminal from one of our other facilities to assist with fuel allocation issues due to the winter storm,” said Director of Marketing Jeff Hunter in a news release. “We are working diligently in a coordinated effort with all state and federal regulatory agencies to mitigate the diesel fuel release.”
Water tests taken from 12 properties along the creek have not come back Wednesday, but McBrayer reiterated the confidence of Victoria County Groundwater Conservation District officials and the remedial companies that the residents’ water supplies will not be impacted.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials who are part of the agency’s special division that investigate spills have not responded to the scene, said Alex Nuñez, who coordinates the state’s southmost region for the division.
However, the agency is providing guidance to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials investigating the spill, he said.
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