By Heidi Zemach

Special to The Ridgway Record

The cleanup of an oil leak that spilled an estimated five to 10 barrels of oil on Allegheny National Forest lands in Jenks Township continued Tuesday in Forest County.
The leak was reported by Seneca Resources Inc, of whom National Fuel is a subsidiary, on Friday, Jan 30. It was determined to be coming from a buried 2-inch oil line located in the “Muzette A” prospect well to oil field Lot 55, Wt. 3174, off Forest Road 631.
Seneca Resources, EAP Industries, its cleanup contractor, and U.S. Forest Service personnel from Marionville were the first responders, according to information provided by Kathy Mohney, the Forest Service spokesperson.
Seneca workers installed several oil booms on Friday afternoon, and EAP workers installed a large pipe dam Friday night to prevent any oil from reaching Little Salmon, a nearby stream. The company installed four additional pipe dams on Saturday to catch oil in a spring run adjacent to the well, near where the leak originated.
Julie Cox, the media spokesperson for Seneca Resources Inc, said crews, who worked at the spill site throughout the weekend, were immediately able to identify and contain the spill so that it never reached Little Salmon. Some oil did, however get into the spring run, Cox said.
On Monday, EAP and Seneca Resources crews shoveled snow out of the spring run in order to facilitate the clean up. The area was reviewed by DEP, the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, and Marienville District Ranger Rob Fallon on Monday and Tuesday. EAP planned to flush the spring run to concentrate the oil for removal, and to install a stream boom as a precaution. 
The cause of the spill is still under investigation, Cox said.