PIPELINE BURST SPURS ACTION COUNTY FILES CHARGES AGAINST OPERATOR.Byline: Judy O'Rourke Staff Writer The Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County District Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against a pipeline operator at Pyramid Lake Pyramid Lake, 188 sq mi (487 sq km), W Nev. The lake, a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan, receives the Truckee River. Visited (1844) by U.S. explorer John Frémont, the lake was named for its large pyramidal rocks. in connection with a rupture last March that oozed about 142,000 gallons of oil into the lake. The four-count complaint against Pacific Pipeline System LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control was filed Friday in Superior Court in Valencia by the environmental law section of the office's Consumer Protection Division. ``This situation is quite serious and that's the reason for the filing in this case,'' Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley Stephen Lawrence ("Steve") Cooley (born May 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is a veteran prosecutor who was elected as Los Angeles County's 36th District Attorney on November 7, 2000. He was sworn in for his second term on December 6, 2004. said on Saturday. ``I have every confidence our environmental unit did a good job in pursuing the criminal filing.'' Deputy District Attorney Daniel Wright said the pipeline break was first noticed last year by California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. workers. After the 14-inch pipeline broke March 23, 2005, black oil spread over approximately eight acres along the lake's surface. The man-made lake, which holds Northern California water flowing south through the California Aqueduct, supplies drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. for a variety of cities in Southern California. Water from the lake - part of the State Water Project - usually feeds into Castaic Lake to the south, but the flow was shut off after the spill was noticed. A company official has said a landslide triggered by heavy rains was the likely cause of the break, sending the light crude oil down a hillside east of Interstate 5, down a ravine, under the highway and into Posey Cove. A portion of the lake apart from the spill area was reopened for recreation about a month after the spill. The California Fish and Game Department investigated the case because the 1,297-acre lake also is home to trout, bass and other species. The broken pipeline was one of three owned by the company that snake through the hills east of the freeway. A replacement pipeline held during a landslide in November that was attributed to rain. Arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted is set for March 30. Judy O'Rourke, (661) 257-5255 judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com |
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