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Wednesday Sunrise Weather 5/22/13
Oil Company’s Pipe Ruptures in Gardendale 12/21/12
Felicia Bolton
fbolton@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News Reporter
December 21, 2012
GARDENDALE, TX- An oil company’s pipe ruptures in Gardendale this morning near the intersection of Aster and Cottonwood. Now many residents are speaking out on their concerns for safety.
Barrels of oil and other substances spewed from Diamondback Energy’s single well slow line pipe in Gardendale around 8am this morning.
One eyewitness says he noticed the leak, late last night.
"We started smelling an odor at around 11:30 last night. I checked outside to see what it was just before midnight," stated eyewitness Ray Moseley.
After calling the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality, an employee came to Gardendale to search for a leak and determined there wasn’t a problem.
But this morning the Diamondback Energy's pipeline ruptured and left a strong oil smell in the area.
"Very strong … it's in your clothes. It's in your car. It's in your house. It's everywhere," said Moseley.
Members of Gardendale Accountability Project say that leaks like this could be extremely dangerous and become a fire hazard.
"I have a pipeline within 300 feet of my home. There's not a place with any structure that is not in the danger if a pipeline if it reputed," said Shane Leverett, with GARDAP.
Officials with Diamondback Energy say they are working with the Railroad Commission of Texas to determine the cause of leak, while cleaning up all the remaining waste.
They say that only 5 barrels of oil spilled during the rupture and they are taking extra measures to ensure residents' safety.