That isolates that damaged portion of the pipe from the rest of the pipeline network. The excavation of the first hole wasn't completed Tuesday, she said. Authorities remain concerned about the possibility of more gas leaking into the creek. There are some places where there are pockets of fuel. Crews have created berms or used vacuum equipment to keep the pockets of fuel from reaching the creek.
Work also remains to be done to stabilize soils seared by the fire.
Authorities fear serious erosion problems could be triggered by the next heavy rain, and are devising plans to stop the erosion. At this point, the company doesn't anticipate any changes in its pipeline route, monitoring or procedures, Stanley said. About 32,000 gallons of water and fuel have been recovered from the creek, but Stanley said he didn't know what percentage of that actually is fuel. State Department of Natural Resources contract crews removed about 60 trees deemed an immediate hazard, said agency spokesman Mark Morrow. Those trees posed significant danger to biologists taking samples in the river and other work crews, he said.