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Cleanup efforts underway for oil spill in Corpus Christi Bay

Posted at 6:03 PM, Dec 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-28 19:03:53-05

INGLESIDE, Texas — More than 3,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Corpus Christi Bay on Christmas eve.

It happened near the Flint Hills Ingleside facility in the La Quinta Channel.

Efforts are now underway to clean up the mess.

Flint Hills tells KRIS 6 News they are following strict environmental protocols and have already recovered a significant amount of oil from the bay.

Containment booms are installed to help with the cleanup. Those that live in the area have been watching the efforts firsthand and tell us--they just want to be kept informed.

"Somebody is not doing their quality control. They're not checking so, therefore, how many times is this going to happen?," a resident, Sheila Walton said.

Walton lives along the bay. She said she would want to know if her backyard is unsafe.

"The residents aren't told the whole story. "Oh, we have it contained."Well, Flint Hills is behind us and the oil has made its way to the island," she said.

Jennifer Hilliard with Ingleside on the bay coastal watch association echoes Walton's concerns.

One of her main concerns is this spill's effect on local sealife

"There have been reports of a dead dolphin found on the shores of Flint Hills facility and also one of our local community members picked up a turtle,"said Hilliard.

We reached out to Flint Hills-- they tell us they are following strict environmental protocols and have they've already recovered a significant amount of oil from the bay.

Wildlife response services out of Seabrook, Texas are taking care of any animals that have been impacted by the oil spill.

The Coast Guard and the Texas general land office are also assisting with the cleanup--Flint Hills hopes said they are close to wrapping up their efforts.