An ExxonMobil contractor cleaned up oil on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Billings, Mont.
(Matthew Brown/ Associated Press)
LAUREL, Mont. - An oil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River was temporarily shut down in May because of concerns over rising waters, and regulators twice in the last year warned
Exxon Mobil officials estimated that up to 1,000 barrels, or 42,000 gallons, spilled late Friday night before the flow from the damaged pipeline was stopped. The break near Laurel has fouled miles of riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes across eastern Montana.
By early yesterday the company had received 70 calls at a hotline set up for property owners affected by the spill, but spokesman Alan Jeffers said not all of those were reports of oil.
Jeffers said 125 workers were cleaning up scattered sections of riverbank that received crude yesterday. But he added there was no longer a defined slick of oil moving down the river and the impact was unlikely to grow.
“It’s unlikely there’s any oil in the water at this point,’’ Jeffers said. “That doesn’t mean we know where it all is.’’
Officials in Yellowstone County were working with the company to connect cleanup personnel with affected property owners, Commissioner John Ostlund said.
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