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SALT LAKE CITY -- Officials are working to find the source of a small amount of oil discovered in the northern end of the Jordan River Saturday.
Salt Lake Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Carson says hazmat teams and fire crews were called out to a part of the river near Interstate 80 after receiving reports of a possible oil leak. Crews followed the sheen upstream and determined it must have come from an area near a utilities building, but not from the building itself.
Crews have set up booms at 1100 North, 200 South and North Temple to contain the oil. Absorbent pads have been placed in the city's pump station.
Carson estimates the spill is less than 20 gallons.
"It's hard to say. Petroleum really spreads out on water. It makes a really big sheen with just a little bit of product," he says.
He says it's possible someone dumped the diesel fuel into a gutter, or it could be coming from a leaking diesel tank. He says there's no threat to wildlife or drinking water.
E-mail: ajames@ksl.com
