http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11588990
An oil spill on the North Slope was reported Sunday.
The spill was discovered just after 3 a.m., about 1.5 miles from the Lisburne Production Center west of Prudhoe Bay.
The Department of Environmental Conservation says the spill came from an 18-inch three-phase common line carrying a mixture of crude oil, produced water and natural gas. British Petroleum says the pipe is an above-ground flow line that has recently but not currently been in operation, and had some residual oil in the line.
“BP estimates 8,400 square feet of snow-covered tundra and part of a gravel road have been impacted,” said DEC’s Weld Royal. “The spill is not far from Prudhoe Bay, but no oil has been seen in the waters of Prudhoe Bay.”
Officials describe the spill as slowly running down a pipe support post and piling up in a frozen, congealed cone-shaped pile.
The cause of the spill is still being investigated. The total amount spilled is still unknown.
The spill happened in an area 1.5 miles east of the Lisburne Production Center. (Courtesy Department of Environmental Conservation)
This thermal image shows the spill area expanding from below pipes onto a gravel road. (Courtesy Department of Environmental Conservation)