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SALT LAKE CITY -- Chevron completed its testing Sunday on a pipe that leaked 33,000 gallons of oil into several Salt Lake City waterways last weekend.
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Body found during oil cleanup
Chevron crews working to clean up from last weekend's massive oil spill discovered a decomposing body near Red Butte Creek Sunday."We've detected no leaks," said Chevron spokesman Dan Johnson. "According to the protocol we have with the U.S. Department of Transportation that will satisfy their requirements, so we can begin operation of the pipeline tomorrow."
Saturday, crews placed an environmentally-friendly dye in the 14-mile pipe, then filled it with water.
After 24-hours of strict observation, they determined the pipeline is void of any leaks.
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Spills in Gulf and Utah turn focus to oil alternatives
Recent oil spills are sparking renewed calls to wean America off its addiction to oil in favor of alternatives. Some endorse an increase in the gas tax, but others are wary.Meanwhile, the cleanup process continued Sunday. Chevron officials say Saturday's flush of Red Butte Creek was successful.
So far, crews have recovered over 600 of the 800 barrels of oil spilled and estimate the remaining 100 barrels evaporated.
However, Johnson says the remaining oil will be the most difficult to collect.
"I think the last 100 barrels will be the most difficult because the first 600 barrels were in a lot of liquid -- oil and water together," he said. "It really gets labor intensive at this point in time."
Johnson says crews will not used heavy machinery for the remainder of the clean up. Instead, they'll have to finish the job by hand.
