Broken Pipe to Blame for Saltwater Spill in Oklahoma County

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Environmental tests on an Oklahoma creek have led to the discovery of a saltwater spill into the main source of freshwater for Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.

The Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/2oQconk ) reports that an Environmental Protection Agency inspector working on Bird Creek was shown a broken drainage pipe on a hillside which led to finding the saltwater spill into Sand Creek on Tuesday.

Tallgrass Preserve Director Bob Hamilton says pumper trucks are taking water out of a pond below the broken pipe and some ditches have been dug to collect or divert contaminated water from the creek until it can be pumped out.

Saltwater from an unknown source contaminated Bird Creek in August and has since put a mile’s worth of pasture land off limits.