Spill Cleanup Could Cost Firm $5,000

Cleanup crews Monday mopped up the remnants of a weekend oil spill near Fillmore, and Ventura County fire officials say the tab for responding to the 8,400-gallon mishap could cost an oil company close to $5,000.

Meanwhile, a state Department of Fish and Game warden was scheduled to inspect the site today as officials consider whether to levy fines against Torch Operating Co., a department spokesman said.

The spill, which began about 2 a.m. Saturday after a section of 4-inch pipe burst, covered several miles of irrigation ditches next to orange orchards in the Bardsdale area, about 1 1/2 miles south of Fillmore. Crews were out Monday with high-pressure hoses to blast away the remaining bits of oil and dirt that had accumulated in concrete culverts next to the orchards.

About 80% of the oil settled on the concrete, with the rest soaking into dirt areas next to the orchards, said John Deacon, a spokesman for Torch. The contaminated dirt has been removed and placed in holding tanks for disposal, Deacon said.

“We’re spending all the money we have” to clean up the mess, he said. Deacon was unable to estimate the cost of the entire cleanup, saying, “We don’t have a handle on it yet. I think in a week we’ll have a ballpark figure.”

One cost Torch faces within the next two weeks is a bill from the Ventura County Fire Department, said Abbe Cohen, the department’s fiscal manager.

She said fire officials are looking to be reimbursed about $5,000, which would cover the cost of sending nearly 30 county employees to work at the site during the weekend. A county fire engine and four hazardous-materials vehicles were called to the scene Saturday morning after a worker noticed the spill during a routine inspection.

The state Department of Fish and Game is continuing to investigate the spill, but officials believe it was accidental, which could help Torch avoid a fine, Pat Moore, a department spokesman, said. He said Bob Farrell, the regional warden, will tour the site today to determine whether Torch has adequately cleaned the site, and also said that a decision regarding a fine could take as long as a month.

There apparently was no wildlife damage from the spill, which is one criteria for a fine, Moore said. Fines also can be levied against oil companies when Fish and Game officials determine that neglect led to the spill or that the spill was deliberate, he said.

Steve Mattern of the county’s environmental health services department, which has been monitoring the situation, praised Torch’s reaction.

“They’ve operated very efficiently,” he said. “They didn’t dog it a bit.”

Mattern said Torch officials have promised to walk door-to-door in the Bardsdale area during the next several days to ask residents whether they are satisfied with the cleanup. He also said the county would honor residents’ requests to perform well-water testing, with the bill being forwarded to Torch.