Jordan River access cut off for oil cleanup

SALT LAKE CITY — City officials have shut off public access to the Jordan River from 1700 South to 500 North as a result of cleanup efforts due to Saturday's oil spill.

Mayor Ralph Becker stressed the closure was due only to avoid potential interference with the ongoing removal of the oil — not out of public health concerns.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality also released initial test results for petroleum-based compounds in the water, sampled along the Red Butte Canyon oil spill, which it says do not indicate an "immediate threat" to human health or aquatic life.

More extensive testing is being done to determine the full extent of contamination and long-term effects on the environment.

"It appears the most toxic components sampled have dissipated, and we aren't seeing anything acutely harmful to human health or aquatic life based on the data we have so far," said Walt Baker, director of the state's water quality division.

Chevron and multiple federal, state and local agencies are continuing to deal with the aftermath of Saturday's pipeline fracture that sent an estimated 33,000 gallons of oil into Red Butte Creek. The creek then dumps into the lake at Liberty Park and continues on to the Jordan River. The Jordan River flows north into the Great Salt Lake.

Prompted by the detection Saturday of a slight sheen of oil that made its way to the Great Salt Lake, Davis County employees and contractors have placed absorbent booms in three locations to capture what officials say are "negligible" amounts of oil in the water.

"Of course, we knew if it got down into the waterways of Salt Lake City and into the Jordan River, it would roll northward into Davis County and threaten the wetlands, which are pretty sensitive areas," said Davis County Health Department director Lewis Garrett.

Rick Hansen, a state wildlife resources officer, said he responded after he heard about the spill to determine if any of the oil had reached the lake or adjacent wetlands.

"I rushed out to check it out. I just went down to where the Jordan River dumps into Farmington Bay. I saw a sheen on the water, and I am not saying it's from the spill, but it is ironic. I've been out here seven years, and it is the first time I have seen sheen on the water."

Booms were placed at the Davis/Salt Lake County line, at the Legacy refuge area along Legacy Highway and then at the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management preserve.