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West Bountiful • In the weeks since the roof of a storage tank burst at HollyFrontier and sprayed oil as far as 2½ miles away, the refinery has been sending crews out to clean cars and patio furniture, tear up grass and replace it with new sod, and repair other damage, an official said Tuesday.
In an update to the West Bountiful City Council, Engineering Manager Conrad Jenson said 405 claims were filed by businesses and residents in the wake of the Aug. 30 eruption. The refinery hired three companies to help with the cleanup and began repairing damage that night, he said.
The eruption at the refinery, 393 S. 800 West in Woods Cross, sprayed an estimated 8,400 gallons of crude into the sky. The 40-yard-wide swath of oil landed on homes, businesses and vehicles in Woods Cross, West Bountiful and Bountiful.
No injuries were reported, and the oil spray did not significantly pollute nearby Mill Creek, according to the Utah Division of Water Quality.
Refinery officials think hot oil in the tank came into contact with water, causing it to boil and turn to steam. The pressure became too much for the vents to handle and caused the seam at the top of the tank to rupture. Jenson said there was no explosion or fire.
The refinery has spent $500,000 so far to clean up and repair homes, businesses and vehicles, Jenson said. The work is continuing, he said.
There was no cost estimate yet for repairs at the refinery, Jenson said.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC —
HollyFrontier's Woods Cross refinery
The refinery has a total crude oil capacity of 31,000 barrels per day, according to HollyFrontier's website. The facility specializes in processing regional sweet and black-wax crude as well as Canadian crude. Woods Cross' refined products are marketed primarily in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and eastern Washington.