Edhat Staff
Photo: SBCFD
By edhat staff
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports between 8-10 barrels of crude oil were spilled in the Santa Maria Valley late Wednesday morning.
At 11:15 p.m., an inspector arrived at the Greka oil facility on 5080 Black Road and found oil had leaked from a 1/2 inch line. The line was shut down and the oil was contained in secondary confinement.
No waterways were affected and all appropriate notifications have been made on state and federal levels as mitigation is underway said Captain Dave Bertucelli.
The cause is under investigation.
How many times does this new incident make for Greka? This has been their typical track record since they have been in operation. When will the be shut down for good?!
You can plainly see only a few gallons of oil spilled within the facility and were contained. Not news.
Oilies have an excuse for anything.
Spilled oil soaking into the ground—not news? Sounds like it to me.
Judging from the pictures, we haven’t heard the last of this facility.
You obviously have not been around this area or have a vast knowledge of Greka Oil. They have been the poster child” for everything that will and does wrong & illegally at a poorly operated oil facility. They are under the favor of a current EPA Trump appointee who used to hold public office in this county. So, it’s no surprise that this will once again be “swept under the rug.” Be ready to see them under scrutiny again in the near future when their dilapidated & rusted equipment fails again.
How much oil would matter to you? 1000 gals? 1000000 gals? The exxon valdez?
Ummm, it’s an commercial industrial site with approved inspections. Accidents happen, they are reported, then they get cleaned out. It’s a bummer, but sounds like the system worked as it should.
If you’ve ever driven along Palmer Road by the Greka facilities with your window open, you see large open piles of rusting pipe and equipment, and the entire area reeks of petroleum. They’re leaking volatiles like crazy.
We need oil. Oil powers our society. Without oil we wouldn’t have the great country we live in. Sometimes oil spills. Nothing’s perfect, the world’s not perfect, no matter how much the People For A Perfect World want it to be.
I’m a bit of a skeptic (especially regarding assertions made about Greka) and wonder if the 10 barrels of oil they’ve reportedly spilled isn’t closer to 1,000. Regardless, 1 barrel is 42 gallons. If they spilled 420 gallons it’s a significant volume of crude.
did you read that it was contained in a secondary confinement…safeguard worked. How many of you have lets gasoline drip from the hose to the ground when filling up your car. Probably a bigger environmental impact since its not cleaned up but washed into the sewer drains.
@Macpuzl, if what you’re saying is true…it sounds like both the company and the inspector (likley more than one employed by both the State and County) should be cleaned up. I’m guessing that what you think is an issue is actually well withing permissible requirements. As others have said, the system is working as it should.
One gallon would be too much, but in the bigger picture 10 barrels is basically a “nothingburger” from a news standpoint. I have been to numerous countries around the world where citizens walk the walk, and amazed that ultra-eco/enviro/greenie Santa Barbararan’s are just talk talk talk. And why is SB so filthy all the time? It is simply one of the most garbage-strewn places I have ever seen.
There you go again, confusing society/civilization with mere technology.
oil came from the ground, what is the problem if it seeps back in??