HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 07-15 Oil leak threatens marsh THE REVIEW .. ,
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By JONATHON CLYDE GLASS :$
IN)
Staff Writer
Mrs. Elaine Koutek first noticed the
small dark puddle alongside her driveway . '
when she left her home at 10 a.m. on , -
Saturday,July 11.She did not think much r , ;'
about it since oil and grease from the road f - ,
frequently collect at that point, she said. L_oft ”
When Koutek returned home about 4 ,'s '
p.m. the puddle had become larger and �� , �.
stronger smelling but, still, she did not ;
think it was extremely unusual, she ;� ,,,,,,,it,� � �,° -
continued. a ,, ;;;;r1,.,,,,,,47-:::::
Not until 5:30, when a neighbor called °` r f� ..- e° s
the fire department toa the scene, did ��� '
Koutek realize she had an oil leak in her '‘I-11:‘,1,,,,-,.--:" , �
yard,which is on the western edge of the ,� ��� � �wMaplewood NatureCenter.Shecouldsee ,. ,0:,. 'the oil bubbling upfromtheground,"justf'' ::0Y,,,,,,,iiii,
, , � , :, �y::
like a fountain." Koutek explained. Fi ` �The leak was the result of a pinhole in a , ;�six-inch pipeline buried eight feet beneath ,' p� , , x
the road in front of the Koutek home.The �r �;�. ,ea•: l
pipe is owned by the Williams Pipeline .i
Company, 2451 W. County Road C, �"
Roseville, which shut off the pipe
Saturday evening. WILLIAMS PIPELINE WORKERS repair a leaking pipeline ten feet below Bar-
By Monday, Williams' workers had telmy Lane in Maplewood.The oil leaked through a "pinhole" fracture in the pipe
patched the hole, but the extent of un- and surfaced in the front yard of the Koutek family,just 120 yards from the western
derground contamination to yards and the edge of the Maplewood Nature Center. The extent of underground contamination
nearby nature center could not be remains uncertain, but it does not initially appear that the oil spread beyond the
determined. surrounding topsoil.
"Our concern is with subsurface con-
tamination," said Dick Cable of the Janet Grew and Christine Soutter. Grew face of the Kouteks' yard definitely
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Soutter, however, are awaiting the reveals the impact of oil drainage and
(MPCA) which is supervising the MPCA reports to see if the marsh, which excavation equipment. Their backyard,
cleanup.The MPCA will require Williams is about 25 feet lower that the road, has normally a wooded serene area
to do more digging to test the extent of been affected. overlooking the marsh,now has al 60-yard
underground contamination, Cable said. "This is just one of many non-point dark trail, revealing how the oil drained
At press time, neither company nor pollution sources for the marsh," said when it overflowed the puddle alongside
MPCA officials can be sure when the leak Grew in reference to the oil leak. the road. The yard also has two four foot
started or how much oil had seeped out. Drainage from nearby roads and yards, deep pits, dug by Williams to stop the
The western fence of the nature center plus several pipes which empty into the surface flow, about 60 yards from the
borders the Koutek's backyard,about 120 marsh,already create pollution problems marsh.
yards from the pipeline. A visual in- there, she explained. Williams will provide new dirt and sod
spection revealed no apparent con- While the extent of subsurface con for the Kouteks after it has finished its
tamination, according to naturalists tamination remains uncertain, the sur- subsurface tests, Koutek said.