Weekend Oil Spill at Venoco

Three barrels’ worth of oil leaked at Venoco’s Ellwood Onshore Oil and Gas Facility (EOF) in the early evening of Saturday, March 29, according to a statement from the City of Goleta, which Venoco notified about the spill. Venoco staff reportedly spotted wet ground near the “heater treaters” within the EOF and linked it to a leak in a six-inch oil line connecting the heater treater with the hydrogen sulfide stripper. EOF and Platform Holly operations were stopped, until early Sunday afternoon, while the leak was fixed with a clamp and a clean-up of the oil, dirt, and debris took place. The Fire Department was also alerted to the incident and made sure the spill was contained.