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Ruptured Pipline in San Francisco
Friday, April 30, 2004 (AP) Diesel pipeline spill fouls marsh
east of San Francisco TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer (04-30)
00:07 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A pipeline that
pumps petroleum from refineries in the San Francisco Bay area
ruptured, gushing diesel fuel into a marsh that serves as a
key nesting ground for migratory birds. The spill,
which began Tuesday, prompted an emergency cleanup effort at
Suisun Marsh, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. Several
dead animals, mostly ducks, were found at the scene, said Coast
Guard spokeswoman Clare Maranda.
State officials
estimated that 40,000 gallons of fuel spilled. Initial worst-case
estimates had put the spill 1 million gallons. Kinder
Morgan Energy Partners, the Houston firm that owns the pipeline,
estimated that 500 to 1,000 barrels, containing 42 gallons
of fuel each, leaked into the marsh, spokesman Jerry Engelhardt
said. The spill was mostly contained by Thursday
and was limited to a diked area of roughly 600 acres, so the
fuel couldn't easily escape to the rest of the marsh, officials
said. About 50 workers from state, county and
federal agencies were using containment booms and absorbent
pads to clean up the spill, which left a sheen atop the water.
The
pipeline, which carries fuel from San Francisco Bay area refineries
to Chico, Sacramento and Reno, Nev., ruptured sometime Tuesday.
Kinder Morgan noticed a drop in pipeline pressure around 6
p.m. Tuesday night and shut down a section of the pipeline,
Engelhardt said. Environmental officials were told about it
Wednesday. The broken section of the pipeline
would be replaced and back in service by Saturday, but it could
take several weeks or even months to completely clean up the
spill, Engelhardt said.
The Suisun Marsh is considered
California's second-largest natural marsh, according to Greg
Green, a biologist for Memphis, Tenn.-based Ducks Unlimited,
a wetlands conservation group. But it's also a highly managed
area, with large sections diked off to control the flow of
water. "It's an important area for biological
purposes," Green said. The marsh, located
just north of Suisun Bay, covers 57,000 acres and is home to
about 700,000 birds, including migratory shorebirds and raptors. "The
Suisun Marsh is an important migratory stop for water fowl," said
Mike Sellors of the Audubon Society in San Francisco. "I
would be concerned about the impact on the water quality and
how that would impact the birds and their food sources." Copyright 2004 AP
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