Pipeline break slows Husky production

LIMA - A Kentucky sewer crew's mistake gave the Lima Refinery a weekend of sub-par production.

Production at Lima's Husky Refinery slowed Friday after a crew digging to replace a sewer line near Burlington, Ky., struck a crude-oil pipeline. The 22-inch pipeline is owned by Mid-Valley Pipeline and runs from the Gulf Coast to Lima.

Husky officials said production at the refinery dropped from its typical 144,000 barrels a day to just 115,000 during the weekend as a result of the break.

"We did have a cutback on production as a result of the breach of the pipeline," said Husky spokesman Dennis Floate.

The spill caused problems in the community near Cincinnati when neighbors began to smell fumes from the spill. A Kentucky Environment Protection Agency spokesman said there was no real danger from the spill, but two dozen families were evacuated from their homes as a precaution. They were allowed to return home Friday afternoon.

By Saturday afternoon, more than 4,500 barrels of crude had been recovered from the spill.

Crews had completed repairs on the break by Monday morning. By Tuesday, production was back to normal, Floate said.