Bakersfield oil producer under investigation for allegedly contaminating city water supply

The investigation into the contamination is focusing on a local oil producer, as 42 businesses remain unable to use the city's tap water as of Tuesday afternoon. An oil spill has contaminated part of Bakersfield's drinking water supply, affecting 42 businesses and the city's tap water supply for the fourth day. The California Department of Conservation is investigating a local oil producer, Griffin Resources LLC, for failing to address various violations related to proper oil well maintenance and facility upkeep. The company, which owns and operates about two-third of Bakerfield's water system, has been under a 'No-Drink' and "No-Use' orders since early Tuesday afternoon. The backflow of oil is believed to have occurred at a crude oil storage facility at 5401 Office Park Drive. This is not the first time Griffin has faced oil leaks; the California Department for seven years, and it has been ordered to stop leaking from wells with substandard repairs.

प्रकाशित : 10 महीने पहले द्वारा Jenny Huh में Business Environment

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It’s now the fourth day since an oil spill has contaminated part of Bakersfield’s drinkable water supply.

The investigation into the contamination is focusing on a local oil producer, as 42 businesses remain unable to use the city’s tap water as of Tuesday afternoon. 17 News has reached out to the company allegedly responsible for the oil leak but have not heard back as of Friday evening.

“We ceased using any of the affected water, we put up signage for the patients for the next day, we informed all of the employees, and we put bags around the sinks so nobody would just accidentally try to use the water and everything,” said Melissa Gilkes-Smith, Chief Operations Officer for the Heart Vascular and Leg Center.

Since early Tuesday afternoon, when oil was first discovered in the City’s drinking water system, residents have been under a ‘No-Drink’ and “No-Use’ order. Cal Water, the company that owns and operates about two-third of Bakersfield’s water system and is overseeing this cleanup, says it appears the backflow of oil, responsible for the water contamination, occurred at a crude oil storage facility. The facility is located at 5401 Office Park Drive.

That’s an address for Griffin Resources LLC, a local oil producer. 17 News has not been able to reach the owners of Griffin for comment, but this isn’t the company’s first rodeo with oil leaks.

According to the California Department of Conservation, Griffin Resources LLC has, for the past seven years, failed to address various cited violations related to proper oil well maintenance and facility upkeep, all of which, the department noted, could potentially endanger the public and environment.

Just this April, Griffin received an emergency remedial order for the below reasons, according to the state department.

• None At least 28 different leaks from wells with substandard repairs which included using tape, clamps, or flex seal spray instead of making permanent repairs.

• None Allowing wells to vent into a pipeline that has been out-of-service since 2019 following a reportable spill.

• None Failure to comply with mechanical integrity testing (tests for leaks in pipelines and that the mechanical components of the well function in a way that is protective of public health and the environment).

Griffin received a second emergency order, also in the month of April, for noncompliance with tanks near residential areas.

The department wrote to 17 News, it, alongside its Geologic Energy Management Division (responsible for oversight of the oil, natural gas, and geothermal industries) discovered “a significant amount of oil on the ground in multiple areas, leaking tanks with inadequate secondary containment, and numerous fire hazards, such as electrical lines running through pools of crude oil on the site.”

Griffin has not complied with either orders, the department said.

Griffin also faces an ongoing 2022 lawsuit, in which it has been ordered to plug and abandon 25 of its wells in the Fruitvale Oil Field.

“Generally, we’re testing for organics, microbiological compounds, oil and grease,” said Yvonne Kingman, director of corporate communication with California Water Service Company (Cal Water).

Those, Kingman noted, are the next steps.

Cal Water’s more than 30 workers out on the field Friday are continuing to flush water and collect samples.

The first water quality results from those samples are expected late Friday to early Saturday.

Flushing water, Kingman explained, entails multiple rounds of intensive flushing of water through the pipes in one direction to rid of any water that might have oil or other contaminants.

“We do have to have multiple rounds of acceptable test results before we can cancel the advisory,” Kingman said.

Kingman said at this time, Cal Water still cannot provide even an estimate of when water will be fully restored.

Kingman also provided 17 News with a timeline of the contamination.

Monday, she said, Cal Water first received a report about air in a customer’s water line.

That, Kingman said, is not uncommon and air can get into waterways in various ways. Workers followed standard procedures, flushing the water, and all was fixed.

Tuesday morning, crews received another report of air in a customer’s waterline. Kingman said they started looking deeper into the source and eventually found oil in the water. When asked about accountability for Griffin, Cal Water said that will likely be handled by other entities.

“[The company] improperly connected their equipment to a hose bib on their property…so their actions caused the oil to backflow into the water distribution system on Tuesday and that’s what compromised the water distribution system,” Kingman said of the cause.

She added, “The connection was not an authorized nor permitted connection. It was not allowed.”

But it’s Bakersfield businesses bearing the brunt of the alleged one company’s actions.

“We’re a business,” Gilkes-Smith said. “So, that revenue for the past three days, that hits pretty hard. Additionally, we had staff members we had to keep home for the past three days and all those employee wages [are lost].”

Gilkes-Smith said she hopes “we’ll be able to get reimbursed from either the company that caused the issue or the city of Bakersfield…We already have patients trying to schedule for next week and the week after.”

Gilkes-Smith said she also oversees Premier Surgery Center on Commerical Way, which has had to cancel patients for colonoscopies and endoscopies due to a lack of clean water.

“We’re screening for colon cancer and you know sometimes, time is of the essence,” she emphasized.

Local restaurant Moo Creamery is also ceasing operations for the time being.

An employee told 17 News because they’re a restaurant, reopening may be even more complicated. She stated that to her understanding, once the water supply is restored, a state-certified plumber must sign off on each of their faucets.

And the restaurant has a lot of faucets, she said.

You can reach Cal Water’s Bakersfield office at 661-837-7200 for any needs, like free water bottles.

This is a developing story, and we’ll continue to provide you with updates.

Again, 17 News has not heard back from Griffin, despite multiple attempts to reach them.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.

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