Nearly 2,000 barrels of oil and oil water have been recovered to date since the early June oil spill into a creek near the northern Oklahoma town of Kremlin.
An update from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission showed 1,125 barrels of oil were recovered during the cleanup operation along the 9-Mile Creek.
Another 802 barrels described as “oily water” were also recovered.
Cleanup operations are still underway regarding contaminated soil and vegetation along a 3-mile stretch of the creek in Garfield County.
The spill was caused by heavy rains which flooded a drilling mud disposal site. As defined, drilling mud is considered to be the liquid drilling fluids used in the drilling of oil and gas wells. It often is in three forms including oil-based mud, water-based mud and synthetic-based. The main purpose of the mud is to suspend rock cuttings in the wellbore.
The site was operated by Nemaha Environmental, an environmental company based in Kremlin. Heavy rains caused an overflow of a dike that surrounded the area where well cuttings and tank bottoms were located.
Another company, Acme Environmental, was contracted to do the cleanup. The firm quickly established a temporary dam and put 5 active barrel skimmers in place. The skimmers were used to pull oil from the low-water area.
