Leak At Jenks Oil Storage Yard Irks Neighbors

By Craig Day, The News On 6

JENKS, OK -- Several residents in one Jenks neighborhood are dealing with petroleum problems.

Tanks at a small oil storage yard leaked, causing a small amount of oil to flow down the street in a neighborhood near 112th and Elwood in Jenks.

It was a crude awakening for some residents and stirred up concerns about what some call a repeated problem.

You've heard good fences make good neighbors. One of Gina Giddens' neighbors has a good fence, but she doesn't think they're acting too neighborly.

"It's not the best neighbor to have," she said.

Oil from a small tank storage yard has leaked, running across the street, down a slight slope and into another neighbor's yard.

"It's gone down both sides of the street and as you can see there's black on the roads and both sides of the roads," Giddens said.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is overseeing the cleanup and says the owner, LPD Energy, responded immediately.

The commission says the site is also in full compliance with state rules and regulations, including a berm to control overflow from the tanks.

But heavy rain caused a small amount to wash over the berm.

Craig Day, The News On 6: "So that's the oil going across the road there?"

Gina Giddens, Jenks resident: "That's oil going across the road."

Gina Giddens says this isn't the first time and that she's shot video and taken pictures of the same kinds of problems for years.

"In 15 years, I have probably contacted them a good dozen times," she said.

Crews put down an absorbent material and stopped the flow before it reached a nearby creek. Since there's no severe environmental damage or contamination of groundwater, the corporation commission says remediation will only consist of resodding.

For Giddens, she's tired of the mess and the hassle.

"I also feel like those people that own those tanks have a responsibility for the residents in this area to keep those tanks up, to keep them safe for the people and the kids that live around here," she said.

There are safeguards, including automatic switches, to transfer products from one tank to another to prevent overflows, but in this case, the switch didn't trigger.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission says the pumper company reported it to Glenpool Police as an act of vandalism.