State Agency Hopeful Chevron's Massive Kern County Spill Is Finally Over

Site of Chevron crude petroleum release near Kern County town of McKittrick, July 15, 2019. Pickup truck near top of image shows scale of spill area. (California Department of Conservation)

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State regulators say they're cautiously optimistic that a major release of crude oil from a Chevron well in Kern County — an episode that has continued for three months — is finally over.

Chevron told state officials Wednesday that more than 1.3 million gallons of oil and water have flowed to the surface in the Cymric oil field, 35 miles west of Bakersfield, since May 10. An estimated one-third of that, or 445,130 gallons, is believed to be crude petroleum.

The spill, which Chevron and the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) describe as a "surface expression," has led to a major cleanup operation near the town of McKittrick.

A DOGGR engineering team at the release site says all of the vents associated with the incident "became inactive" late last week, according to Don Drysdale, a spokesman for the state Department of Conservation.

"We're hopeful that the surface expression has ceased but mindful that we need to continue monitoring the situation and looking into the causes of this unusual incident," Drysdale said Wednesday.

Eric Laughlin, a representative for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, expressed caution about the situation because the flow has previously stopped and started several times.

"We are still monitoring the site as cleanup operations continue," he said, adding that the last flow was last Friday, Aug. 2.

Source: https://www.kqed.org/news/11766115/state-agency-hopeful-chevrons-massive-kern-county-spill-is-finally-over