According to a report by the Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com), concerns persist about the potential for oil leaks from the Drift River oil terminal due to eruptions from the nearby Mount Redoubt volcano.
Mount Redoubt, which is just 22 miles from the Drift River oil facility, began erupting in March, and eruptions remain a threat today. The Drift River facility, which is managed by Chevron (www.chevron.com) through the Cook Inlet Pipe Line Co. (www.chevron-pipeline.com), ceased normal operations on Mar. 23.
Currently, workers are focusing on safely emptying the facility’s holding tanks of oil. Discussions are also under way to upgrade the pumps and tanks with a system that would be capable of quickly emptying the tanks in the event of an emergency.
Prior to March, the last time the Redoubt Volcano exploded was in Dec. 1989. The volcano exploded 22 times from Dec. until April 1990. The Anchorage Daily News reports more than 37 million gallons of crude was in storage at Drift River at the time. Mudflows from the eruptions inundated the tank farm, but the tanks did not leak.
In response, the Anchorage Daily News reports that Cook Inlet Pipe Line Co. built a concrete- armored dike around the facility.
To read Anchorage Daily News’s full report on this story, click here.
