CONTAINMENT AND CLEANUP OF A MAJOR OIL WELL BLOWOUT IN TEXAS

Abstract

ABSTRACT In November 1985, an estimated 326,000 barrels (13.04 million gallons) of 42 gravity crude oil, 32,600 barrels (1,304,000 gallons) of salt water and paraffin, and 176 million cubic feet of gas were released into the environment from the blowout of the Ray Richey and Co., Inc. well Ora B. Jones #3. The well site is seven miles southeast of Ranger, Texas, in Eastland County. The well was reported to have blown out because of insufficient weight on the formation, or insufficient application of drilling muds, as the drill stem casing was being withdrawn from the well. Fear of upper elevation formation fracturing necessitated the installation of a more versatile blowout preventer (BOP). For about six days, the well emitted a vertical aerosol of oil and gas that reached heights of 75 feet and resulted in the contamination of a one square mile area surrounding the well site. Horizontal diversion of the oil to an adjacent stock pond and diversion of the gas to constructed flare pits was achieved after the higher capacity BOP was installed. Eleven days elapsed before emergency crews were able to divert flow from the well to on-site storage tanks and flare pits. The responsible party assumed full and immediate responsibility for the incident. Contracted cleanup, emergency and site safety crews were on the site within hours of the initial release. This article addresses the activities of the various regulatory agencies involved with the site, and how they interacted with the responsible party's contracted mitigative crews, for what may be considered a model for future oil spills of this type. Cleanup and environmental restoration methodologies also are addressed.