Pipeline Rupture Spills 50,000 Gallons Of Gas In NE El Paso
EL PASO, TX. – A massive fuel spill in Northeast El Paso soaks into the desert for nearly aweek. Tens of thousands of gallons of fuel leaked into the desert from a ruptured pipeline, just north of the Fort Bliss Rod and Gun Club.
The clean up is still underway, nearly a week after an estimated 50,000 gallons of gasoline erupted from a pipeline early in themorning on May 28. The pipeline, which transports about 94,000 barrels of gasoline per day between El Paso and Tucson, had a small holemeasuring 3 inches by 3 inches.
Officials with with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) say eventually the whole top of the pipeline blew like a geyser. Additionally, TCEQ officials are also looking into the vapors that were released after the rupture.
As a result of the clean up 20,000 gallons of liquid were recovered,however an estimated 30,000 gallons of gasoline remain in the soil. The Federal Office of Pipeline Safety has a special task force currently conducting an investigation into Kinder-Morgan, the owners of the pipeline.
As part of the investigation, the affected section of the pipe has been sent to the lab to determine the cause of the failure.No fire or injuries resulted from the leak in this remote area of Fort Bliss.
