Oil Spill at Greka Lease

Greka Energy, the area oil company whose facilities have been responsible for a number of spills in recent years, was on the hook for yet another incident this morning, May 24.

According to County Fire Department spokesperson Capt. David Sadecki, authorities at 9:16 a.m. responded to a reported oil spill at the Greka Oil Lease at 6151 Dominion Road in Santa Maria. County Fire arrived to the scene, he said, with two engines, a battalion chief, and a hazardous materials inspector.

Around 250 barrels of produced water (a byproduct of the drilling process) mixed with crude oil spilled out of a tank that had overflowed. That figure comes from a a Hazardous Materials Spill Report submitted to the Calfornia Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA). Noting that spill amounts are hard to initially measure, Sadecki stated that it is the responsibility of the spiller to provide accurate information. Representatives from Greka, the Department of Fish and Game, and County Petroleum are on the scene and a vacuum truck is being used to mop up the mess. The spill caused no known environmental impact, said Sadecki.