Red Butte Creek oil spill facts for kids

The Red Butte Creek oil spill happened on June 11 and 12, 2010. It was caused by a broken oil pipeline. This pipeline, owned by Chevron, carries crude oil from Colorado to a refinery near Salt Lake City, Utah. A small hole formed in the pipe. This happened because electricity from power lines jumped to a metal fence post buried near the pipeline.

What Happened During the Spill?

Red Butte Creek is a stream in Salt Lake City. It flows through natural areas, city parks, and even underground pipes. On Friday, June 11, 2010, oil started leaking from the pipeline around 10 p.m. This happened near the Red Butte Garden.

Workers found the broken pipe several hours later. Oil was flowing into Red Butte Creek at a fast rate. About 33,600 gallons (800 barrels) of oil spilled. Half of this oil was recovered on land. The other half, about 400 barrels, went into the creek. Crews worked quickly to stop the oil. They prevented it from reaching the Great Salt Lake. About three miles of the creek were covered in oil and needed cleaning.

Local residents were told to stay away from the area. Liberty Park was closed for the day. Chevron Corporation led the cleanup. They worked with Salt Lake City's Fire, Police, and Public Utilities departments. They used special absorbent barriers and built small dams to hold back the oil. Many cleanup workers helped. Within the first week, two-thirds of the spilled oil was recovered. Animals affected by the oil were taken to the Hogle Zoo for care. By September 2010, most of the oil had been cleaned up or evaporated.

The Area Around the Creek

Red Butte Creek is a narrow, rocky stream in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is located between City Creek and Emigration Creek. The creek is split into two parts by the Red Butte Gardens. These parts are called Upper Butte Creek and Lower Butte Creek. The oil spill affected the Lower Red Butte Creek. This part of the creek flows through city areas and into Liberty Park Lake. It also helps carry stormwater away from the city. The flow of Lower Butte Creek is controlled by the Red Butte Reservoir.

Plants Along the Creek

Many types of trees grow along the creek. The most common are box elder and cottonwood trees. There are also Siberian elm trees, which are not native to the area. The trees form a thick cover over the creek. This cover is thinner in the city areas. Common shrubs include red osier dogwood and narrow leaf willow.

Animals Living Near the Creek

The Upper Red Butte Creek has a special type of fish called Bonneville cutthroat trout. These fish are managed by wildlife experts. The Lower Butte Creek, where the spill happened, does not usually have many fish. However, residents sometimes put trout there for fishing. More than 30 different kinds of birds have been seen in the affected area. Other animals like deer, raccoons, and skunks also live along the urban creek bed.

Impact of the Spill on Wildlife

The oil spill caused problems for many city-owned lands in 2010. Parks like Liberty Park, Miller Park, and Sunnyside Park were unusable. Trails and other city structures also lost money because of the spill. The oil damaged the stormwater sewer system, which had to be fixed. A thick, sticky substance covered rocks, soil, fish, and birds near the creek.

About 300 birds, mostly Canada geese, were covered in oil. There were also reports of dead fish in the water. The oiled birds were gathered and taken to the Hogle Zoo for cleaning. Some birds might need to go to a special wildlife center for more care. The June sucker fish, an endangered species, lives in the Butte Creek Reservoir. This fish could also have been affected by the spill.

How People Reacted

People had very different reactions to the oil spill and the cleanup efforts. U.S. Representative Jim Matheson thought Chevron was doing a good job. He said they were working hard to fix the problem. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker also promised to make sure the city's natural areas were restored. He said the city would not stop until the cleanup was finished.

However, local residents who lived along the creek were not as hopeful. They saw the creek turn black in just one day. One resident said, "Whatever is in that creek will die." They had little trust in oil companies to fix the damage.

Cleanup Efforts

A group called Unified Command (UC) was in charge of the cleanup. This group included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and county agencies, and Chevron. They decided that the most important parts of the cleanup were the tiny creatures in the creek bed and the large trees and plants along the banks.

Because of this focus, they chose a cleanup method that would not cause more damage. They wanted to protect the creek banks from erosion. The UC decided it was okay to leave some oil stains on rocks and pipes. This was to protect the plants and trees along the creek. The UC knew a lot about the local environment. This helped them agree on how clean the creek needed to be.

Cleanup Methods Used

The cleanup involved using special barriers to contain the oil. They also used emergency equipment. The main way they cleaned the creek was by flooding and draining the affected area twice. They did this by controlling the dams and reservoirs along the creek. Workers walked along the banks. They used backpack sprayers and floating pumps to wash the banks after each flood. To restore the area, they replanted plants, made the banks stable, and brought back native trout.

They also took samples of the water, mud, and creek banks. They tested these samples for oil and other chemicals. They compared the Red Butte Creek to other nearby creeks that were not affected. This helped them figure out what a healthy creek should look like after the cleanup.

Restoring the Habitat

The cleanup team focused on bringing back important plants and animals. These included aquatic plants, insects, fish, and amphibians in the creek. For the areas along the creek, they focused on reptiles, waterfowl (birds that live near water), and mammals. If these groups of living things returned, the habitat would likely recover well.

It's impossible to check every single living thing. So, they used "indicator species." These are specific animals that show how healthy the environment is overall. For the Lower Red Butte Creek, the indicator species included the mallard duck, the spotted sandpiper, the muskrat, and the raccoon. For example, the mallard was used to check risks for birds that eat plants near the water. The sandpiper helped check risks for birds that eat insects from the creek bed. They were worried about pollution in the water, mud, and soil affecting these animals.

The Settlement Agreement

The Red Butte Creek oil spill caused serious environmental problems in Salt Lake City. Another oil spill happened in December of the same year. Chevron agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle the damages from both spills. This money was divided among different groups. Salt Lake City received $508,000. The Department of Environmental Quality received $462,853. The University of Utah received $1,304,000. About $2,300,000 was spent on restoring Liberty Park Lake. Other groups and individuals received $929,000. Chevron also paid a fine of $424,000 and $100,000 for wildlife impacts.

Pipeline Safety Report

After the spill, some people worried about pipelines in Utah. They wanted to know if another disaster could happen. Salt Lake City asked a group called the Pipeline Safety Trust to create a report. This report looked at how safe pipelines were in the area.

The report was presented to the public in September. The executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust shared his findings. He also gave recommendations for improving pipeline safety in the Salt Lake Valley.

Problems with Pipeline Rules in Utah

The report said that state and federal regulators could do more to make pipelines safer. It suggested that oil companies should share more information about how their pipelines work. They should also be more open about inspections. The report also said that local cities should train their emergency responders better. This would help them be ready if a pipeline emergency happened.

The report placed most of the responsibility on the state of Utah. It said that Utah could make its own safety rules even stricter than federal ones. Suggestions for the state included:

• Expanding state power to cover all hazardous liquid pipelines.
• Creating a committee of citizens to work with the pipeline industry and regulators.
• Requiring anyone digging near a pipeline to report any damage.

Local governments in Salt Lake Valley could also adopt new rules. These rules would help with planning near pipelines. For example, they could create "consultation zones" around pipelines. They could also make sure emergency teams have the right equipment and training. And they could develop evacuation plans for emergencies. The report suggested many improvements. This is because there is a high chance of another pipeline failure in Utah. Between 2002 and 2011, there were 10 reported pipeline failures.

What's Next for the Pipeline?

Salt Lake City also held a "Pipeline 101" workshop. This was a two-hour session to teach people about pipelines. They also had a two-day pipeline safety conference.

Chevron looked into moving the pipeline, which was built in the 1950s. Moving it outside the city limits would put it in rougher areas. If a break happened there, it would be harder to fix. The pipeline was tested for 24 hours under high pressure. It was found to be safe to use again. Chevron plans to let oil flow through the Red Butte Creek area once more.