EPA studies creek contamination.
A handful of Osage County oil producers may need to temporarily suspend operations while federal officials attempt to determine the source of salt water contamination in a creek branch northwest of Pawhuska.. For now, producers in the affected area near Bird Creek will be asked to submit daily production reports to investigators with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA administrator Sam Coleman said.
For several months, the slow-moving pool of salt water and oil was being monitored.
Since the creek eventually would discharge into Bluestem Lake, the city eventually took the precaution of switching to Lake Pawhuska for its municipal water needs.
The source of the salt water found in Bird Creek still has not been determined, officials said.
As a result, more than a mile of pasture land has been declared unuseable.
Tests were subsequently conducted which indicated the damaged pipe was allowing contaminated water to leak into the freshwater creek.
The environmental experts worked quickly with preserve staff to isolate the pollutants.
Pumper trucks were used to take water from a pond beneath the damaged pipe and a series of ditches were dug for collecting the contaminated water until it could be pumped away from the runoff area.
Officials said the salt water that previously spilled into Sand Creek should cause no problems downstream.