Pam Beasley has investigated seven oil spills in Allen County the past 16 months, with two of them occurring Monday.
“We had three last year and this one (three miles southwest of Iola) is the second one today,” Beasley said late Monday afternoon.
The other spill earlier in the day happened when a coupling broke on a line along old U.S. 169 about three miles south of Humboldt.
Beasley has a role in investigating the oil spills through her involvement with the Local Emergency Planning Commission and as Allen County’s emergency management director.
Neither spill was extraordinary, but when oil escapes from tank, line or well, a report must be made to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Oil that threatens the environment must be cleaned up.
Iola firefighters Eric Lawrence and Kenny Powell were dispatched with the department’s hazardous materials response unit soon after the spill southwest of Iola was reported.
The firefighters walked a ditch along an adjacent county road and noticed oil had flowed in small amounts to about 50 yards south of a tank battery. The dike surrounding the battery, designed to keep spilled oil in check, had a pool several inches deep impounded, from production owned by Roxanna Pipeline.
With rainy weather forecasted, the decision was that dikes should be erected in the ditch to keep the oil from escaping farther south and perhaps even threatening feeder streams of the Neosho River.
Tom Stranghoner, who lives nearby, was mildly alarmed by leaking oil. He has a water well 150 yards or so south of the tank battery.
The dikes were constructed of screenings and hauled to the site in county Public Works Department trucks. Lease employees promised to clean up the oil and take measures to ensure no more would escape, Beasley said.
The spill south of Humboldt involved production owned by a Texas company.
Two oil spills occur Monday
