Sepulveda Boulevard Oil Leak Contained But Work Continues

LOS ANGELES — State authorities responded to the oil leak that shut down Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles this week.

Crews continued work Wednesday to clean and repair an oil leak Wednesday in the Rancho Park area, but officials said the work may take two or three days to complete.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response was at the scene of an underground pipeline discharge incident Tuesday in the city, the office tweeted.

The exact source of the leak that caused as many as 1,000 gallons oil to seep through the ground has yet to be determined. By mid-day Wednesday, cleanup was ongoing, according to the office, which added the crude oil had been contained before it reached Sawtelle Channel, which leads to Ballona Creek and Wetlands.

As of Wednesday morning, one lane of traffic appeared to be moving in each direction through the stretch.

Representatives for the hazardous materials crew working to clean up the leak told ABC7 a lot of work remains to be done, and the northbound lanes of Sepulveda Boulevard will be restricted during the repairs between Exposition and National boulevards.

The seeping oil was first detected Monday night, with Los Angeles Fire Department crews responding just before 6 p.m. to the 2800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard. Fire crews discovered oil bubbling out of the ground at a rate of about 3 to 5 gallons per minute, according to LAFD spokesman Nicholas Prange.

Prange said 500 to 1,000 gallons were believed to have seeped to the surface as of Monday night, and about 20 to 40 gallons escaped into a storm drain before crews were able to contain the leaking material. Officials said they were still working to determine exact amounts of oil that leaked.

Repair crews were brought in, but the oil continued seeping to the surface until around noon Tuesday, according to reports from the scene.

Multiple oil pipes run through the area and various agencies were working to determine which line was compromised. JoJo Comandante, a hazardous materials specialist with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said the leak may have occurred simultaneously with a leak in a Los Angeles city water line. He noted that the oil managed to leak into a storm drain "unnoticed for 2 miles downstream."

Prange said officials requested a vacuum truck from the waste management company Clean Harbors and sand from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services to help mitigate environmental effects of the flow of the oil.

With the leak contained, there was no widespread public hazard, but crews were digging into the street to fully repair the damage.

No injuries were reported and no evacuation orders were issued

City News Service contributed to this report.