30 Gallons Leaked From Jay Oil Well; Foul Odor Source Unknown

December 10, 2014

A  leak Wednesday morning at a Quantum Resources oil facility near Jay was not responsible for a foul  odor that spread south across portions of Santa Rosa County.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) experts are assessing the potential impacts of a reported leak of a Quantum Resource Management flow line fed by three wells that occurred Wednesday morning in Jay, which the company now reports to be contained. A DEP site investigator was on scene within an hour of the incident being reported.

Preliminary estimates into DEP indicate approximately 30 gallons of oil were released, some of which made its way into Bray Mill Creek. DEP technical staff will now undertake a full investigation to identify what caused the breach and soil testing to ensure safety for area residents.

“DEP is working to determine what went wrong and hold Quantum Resource Management accountable for any impacts to the environment resulting from this leak. We are assessing the potential of any possible threat to the environment and the public right now and we will monitor the site to verify our water resources are safe,” said DEP Interim Secretary Cliff Wilson.

The company reports that the leak is now contained and all flow has been stopped to the flow line until repairs can be completed. Quantum Resources Management said the well operator immediately stopped the leak and dispatched a response team to contain, collect and properly dispose of the leaking fluid.

DEP is working expeditiously to ensure cleanup and monitoring efforts take place promptly and accurately.

Quantum Resources Management reported that no workers were injured during the leak and no evacuations were necessary. All wells feeding the flow line have been shut in and the flow line is depressurized until repairs can be made and DEP inspections are complete.

Tiffany Cowie, press secretary for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said that a foul odor across potions of Santa Rosa County Wednesday morning was not caused by the leak.

A northerly wind carried the  foul odor south across Santa Rosa County, with numerous reports from the Pace area, according to Joy Tsubooka, public information officer for Santa Rosa County. She said Wednesday afternoon that preliminary information had linked the smell to the situation in Jay, but that turned out not to be the case.

“We don’t know what the odor was, but we checked all of the sources that could have posed a health risk,” Tsubooka said. “There was nothing found.”

Pictured: The main Quantum Resources facility in Jay. Officials say a morning leak occurred at an outlying facility. NorthEscambia.com file photo.

Comments

5 Responses to “30 Gallons Leaked From Jay Oil Well; Foul Odor Source Unknown”

  1. Mr. Head on December 15th, 2014 8:48 am

    Only to clarify but wind direction is reported as the direction the wind originates from.

  2. BT on December 11th, 2014 5:56 pm

    The article says northerly wind…not that I want to get in the way of folks hurling insults, regardless of the wind direction..

  3. Jd on December 11th, 2014 9:24 am

    A south wind would blow it the other way mr. rocket scientist

  4. Lkraft on December 10th, 2014 10:28 pm

    That odor was in the air off Scenic Highway, near Langley this morning. Went outside about 8:00, smelled it right away – I thought it was ammonia.

  5. Oversight on December 10th, 2014 7:41 pm

    Brewton papermill? North of Jay and Pace with a south wind – rocket science – NOT!