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Well blowout leaves oily mess in Karnes County

Evacuees anxious to see the damage

KARNES COUNTY, Texas – The well blowout that began Tuesday is over, but Karnes County Sheriff DeWayne Villanueva said it left much of the immediate area coated with oil.

"The roadway, the fields, homes, fence lines, I mean, was covered in oil," Villanueva said.

What the sheriff saw is not surprising to former Karnes City mayor John Schulz who was among the 15-20 families evacuated that afternoon.

"It was all over the road as we drove through it," said Schulz's wife, Teresa.

They live less than a mile north of the well.

A spokesman for Encana Corporation, which owns the well site, said the natural gas cloud also contained light crude oil.

Schulz said instead of rain, he saw "dirty water" smear the windshield of the fire truck that picked them up.

He also said the Johnson grass along the road "looked like it was dripping with it."

The Encana spokesman said the company is conducting an environmental assessment.

He said he was not yet aware of the specifics of the assessment.

"But the idea is to clean up the environment and the property," the spokesman said.

Villanueva said Encana has assured them the cleanup will be done at no cost to Karnes County taxpayers.

But Villanueva said there is still no timeline on when the evacuees will be able to leave a local hotel and return home.

He said some may be allowed to briefly return if Encana gives the go-ahead.

Like many of the evacuees, the Schulzes said they're anxious to check on their pets and livestock, and to see if their property was damaged.

"We're at a standstill right now," John Schulz said.


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