Chevron billed $125k for oil's first days

SALT LAKE CITY — The first in a forthcoming series of bills from Salt Lake City is in the hands of the Chevron Pipe Line Co., asking for $125,000 to cover the first two days of work following the oil spill accident that happened just over a fortnight ago.

The release of 33,000 gallons of crude oil on June 11, the cause of which may have been an electrical arc from nearby high voltage lines, stained waterways from Red Butte Creek, just east of the city miles west to the Jordan River.

The Salt Lake invoice was submitted Friday, and company spokesman Dan Johnson said a remittance will be issued after officials at Chevron's headquarters in Houston review the bill. City officials said Monday the company confirmed receipt of the bill, and were assured a wire transfer would be completed in the next few days.

Monday also marked a new phase of cleanup work following the spill, with crews power washing the above ground sections of Red Butte Creek, from the incident site near Red Butte Gardens to the pond at Liberty Park. Johnson said the work, when completed, should remove almost all of the visible oil residue on creek bed rocks and shoreline vegetation.

"This approach involves power washing with an inch-and-a-half hose called a 'fire float,'" Johnson said. "We also have individuals with back-pack sprayers washing down hard-to-reach areas."

Johnson said the tactic, which uses water directly from the creek, was approved by federal and state agencies overseeing the company's cleanup efforts, and is just the next step in what is likely to be "an ongoing process."

Oil-saturated soil has also been removed near the accident site and on the banks of the Liberty Park pond, hauled off for disposal and replaced with clean soil, Johnson said.

Lisa Harrison Smith, spokeswoman for Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, said Monday the initial billing was not comprehensive, but did capture the costs in easy to quantify areas. The bill includes about $53,000 in water cleanup costs, nearly $34,000 for hazardous material containment performed by the Salt Lake Fire Department and about $13,000 for public safety and security services provided in the initial hours.

In addition to the creek wash down, cleanup work continues at sites across the city.