Oil pipe bursts, contaminates high Bolivian lakes

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Oil pipe bursts, contaminates high Bolivian lakes

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LA PAZ, Bolivia, Feb 4 (Reuters) - A large quantity of oil has spilled into a high Andean mountain river from a burst pipe operated by Shell and Enron, contaminating two lakes rich in fish and flamingos and vital for local Indian farmers.

The oil slick spread over 95 miles (150 km) of the River Desaguadero and into lakes Uru Uru and Popo after the pipeline that supplies the northern Chilean port of Arica was ruptured, operator Transredes said late on Thursday.

Transredes is controlled by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell Group and by Enron Corp of the United States.

The Desaguadero flows out of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 12,500 feet (3,800 metres) above sea-level on the high Andean plateau, and is used by local Indian communities to irrigate their crops of potatoes, barley, beans and quinoa.

Local television showed images of dead ducks and of Indians trying to block their irrigation channels to stop the oil from spilling into their fields. The lakes are also important stopovers for migratory birds.

The accident occurred last Sunday when the Desaguadero weakened towers supporting the pipeline at a point 120 miles (200 km) south of the country's administrative capital La Paz, Transredes said.

Transredes turned the pump off at 6 p.m. local on Monday after it had spilled oil for at least 18 hours. The company did not say how much oil spilled, but local media quoted government officials as saying the line had been pumping 10,000 barrels of oil a day.

Deputy Environment Neyza Roca accused Transredes of negligence and said the government was considering severe penalties.

More than 150 people were working at the site on the problem, Transredes said in a news release. It added that it had contracted the U.S. firm Garner to clean up the damage.

) copyright 2000 Reuters, Ltd.

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 04, 2000

Answers

18 HOURS?!!!!! 18 EFFING HOURS?!!!!!

But it's not Y2K. It's the schools, right? We've been putting out such marginal public school product (95% need warranty work) for so damn long that the people holding the jobs are basically sleepwalking through this high tech jungle.

"Yo, Rex, whadda ya make of the high pressure reading here?"

(Somewhere in the distance a pipeline ruptures--does the reason matter?)

"Whadda ya talking about Phil,? Looks OK to me--maybe even a little low."

"I swear!!! It was pegged over the top!!! Oh, well. Looks fine now. Who knows how these goofy things work?"

"Whatever"

If you see me in public, I'm the one still prepping while muttering:

planeswillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfal lfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfromtheskyplane swillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfrom theskyplaneswillnotfallfromtheskyplaneswillnotfallfromthesky

Did anyone check the high school transcripts of those Alaska Airlines pilots?

(just kidding)

-- JIT (justintime@rightnow.net), February 04, 2000.


compares the above report with the original AP report below issued a couple of days ago...

Flood Breaks Bolivia Oil Pipeline

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- A flash flood broke a crude oil pipeline, spilling hundreds of barrels of oil into the Desaguadero River that flows into Lake Poopo, the government reported Wednesday.

The pipeline is operated by Transredes, which is partially owned by Enron. Transredes sent several experts to help contain the oil and the damage it is causing to a river inhabited by pink flamingoes and other birds.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpin1q.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 04, 2000.


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