Oil-soaked birds, a sheen on the water, stream banks painted with petroleum. Absorbent booms and mats and men in hard hats skimming oil from the surface, scraping oil from the soil, pressure-washing Colorado crude from Utah rocks. This time, the spill hit close to home.

The oiled waters we describe are not the Gulf of Mexico, but Red Butte Creek, the pond at Liberty Park and, to a lesser extent, the Jordan River. The birds are geese and ducks, not pelicans and egrets. And those troubling images are brought to you compliments of, not BP, but Chevron.

Thankfully, Salt Lake City's Chevron pipeline leak does not rival the mammoth Gulf of Mexico spill. But it's every bit as bad for the fish and the fowl who come in contact with oil. And it's every bit as bad for the folks whose lands have been fouled and stomachs turned by 33,000 gallons of crude leaked from an aging pipeline where, company officials admit, monitoring systems designed to detect leaks failed.

Officials suspect, but cannot yet confirm, that a tree branch downed by a storm hit a high-voltage wire late Friday, sending electricity through a chain link fence and arcing into the ground, punching a hole the size of a quarter in the pressurized pipeline near the mouth of Red Butte Canyon. An estimated 3,000 gallons of oil per hour escaped. It's safe to say that a lot less would have leaked had the firm's leak-detection devices functioned.

Instead, the spill was discovered the old-fashioned way --- residents awoke Saturday to the putrid odor of petroleum and the sickening sight of oil pooling in the pond in the capital city's premier park, and coursing through a pristine stream that wends through idyllic neighborhoods.

Chevron, as it should, has taken full responsibility for the spill, the cleanup and damages. City, state and federal officials should monitor the company closely to make sure it makes good on its word. Also in order are in-depth investigations with an eye to regulatory changes that can reduce the chances of another prolonged leak.

This time, we were fortunate. Drinking-water supplies were spared, and, to date, the Great Salt Lake has been only minimally impacted. But next time, maybe we won't be so lucky.

The 52-year-old pipeline has carried crude from western Colorado to Chevron's North Salt Lake refinery since gasoline was leaded. In light of the accident, a thorough inspection, new leak-detection systems and penalties are in order.

But we can all accept a little bit of the blame for the spill. It's just another example of the terrible price we pay for our addiction to fossil fuels.