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Take Two

Atwater Oil Spill: Do crude oil pipelines run through your neighborhood?

By Take Two Staff
Published May 16, 2014
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Workers clean up after an above ground oil pipeline ruptured causing some 10,000 gallons of crude oil to spill into the streets of Los Angeles on May 15, 2014. The oil was 'knee deep' in some areas and spread over a half mile area in Atwater Village, northwest of Los Angeles, the city´s Fire Department said after the early morning spill.
Workers clean up after an above ground oil pipeline ruptured causing some 10,000 gallons of crude oil to spill into the streets of Los Angeles on May 15, 2014. The oil was 'knee deep' in some areas and spread over a half mile area in Atwater Village, northwest of Los Angeles, the city´s Fire Department said after the early morning spill.
(
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
)
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
Crews clean up the remains of about 10,000 gallons of crude oil that sprayed into Los Angeles streets and onto buildings early Thursday morning, May 15 after a high-pressure pipe burst.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Crude oil being cleaned up on Brazil Street after an oil spill in Atwater Village on Thursday, May 15, 2014. The smell of oil was thick.
Crude oil being cleaned up on Brazil Street after an oil spill in Atwater Village on Thursday, May 15, 2014. The smell of oil was thick.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Crude oil being cleaned up on Brazil Street after an oil spill in Atwater Village on Thursday, May 15, 2014.
Crude oil being cleaned up on Brazil Street after an oil spill in Atwater Village on Thursday, May 15, 2014.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Listen 7:35
Atwater Oil Spill: Do crude oil pipelines run through your neighborhood?

A pipeline ruptured in Atwater Village early yesterday morning, flooding the Northeast L-A neighborhood with crude oil.

The pipeline was shut off remotely, but not before 10,000 gallons of crude oil flowed into the streets of the mostly industrial neighborhood. Officials are still trying to determine the cause of the spill.

While it was mostly near industrial businesses it was also just blocks away from a residential area. If you were surprised that an oil pipeline could be that close to people's homes, you're not alone.

Thousands of pipelines like these run throughout the entire city and state. Here to explain is Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability at UC Davis.

Find out if an oil pipeline is running through your neighborhood

Map of Oil Pipelines in California