Oil spill in South Oklahoma City
Posted 10:31 pm, June 21, 2016, by Lorne Fultonberg, Updated at 10:53pm, June 21, 2016
OKLAHOMA CITY - At least 100 gallons of oil seeped out of a tank, through a containment dike and into a stormwater drainage creek on the south side Tuesday night, filling the air with a strong odor that brought people out of their homes.
The owner of TNT Operating Company told NewsChannel 4 he's not sure how the leak happened.
While he considers the two-barrel spill relatively small, he said a little oil can go a long way in water.
Several blocks away, near SE 51st and Byers, neighbors looked behind their homes to see water that had been turned black.
"A neighbor came over there to tell us what was going on and I walked over with her and about halfway here I could smell it," said Nicona Hill, who lives across the street from the creek. "And when we got here I was like, 'Oh my goodness, this is bad.' Because the creek's never that black."
There are several oil batteries in the neighborhood and residents say spills have happened before -- just never on this scale.
"[It's] disgusting," said Hill, who believes the company needs to be fined. "It needs to be cleaned up. The kids could get down there and play and get sick if they ingest it."
HAZMAT teams installed booms to contain the oil, as TNT worked to clean up the spill.
Work will finish up tomorrow, the owner said, when crews can see better.