Chevron's Utah refinery leaks oil

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chevron Corp said on Sunday that operations at its 45,000 barrel per day (bpd) Salt Lake City refinery were unaffected by a crude pipeline shut on Saturday due to a leak into a creek that feeds Utah's Great Salt Lake.

The 10-inch (25-cm) pipeline, which carries mid-grade crude to the refinery north of Salt Lake City, was shut on Saturday morning after oil was discovered leaking from it into Red Butte Creek, which is part of a system of waterways feeding Utah's Great Salt Lake, said a fire department spokesman.

"We're estimating 500 barrels were spilled," said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag in a telephone interview.

Temporary dams were built along Red Butte Creek to prevent the crude spilled from spreading further, Freitag said.

Chevron said the pipeline has stopped leaking since it halted the flow of oil through the pipeline on Saturday morning until repairs can be made.

A Chevron spokesman said the company was working to determine the amount of oil released from the leak.

"We have no estimate on how long cleanup will take, but we won't quit until the job is done," said Chevron's Sean Comey in a statement. "We have devoted the necessary resources and people to address the situation."

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Marguerita Choy)