Residents Press Chevron for Answers on Utah Oil Leak

"Stuffed animal held tightly in her left arm, 9-year-old Stella Cunningham asked a Chevron official how long the stretch of Red Butte Creek behind her Harvard Avenue home will smell.

'When can we swim in it again?' she added.

The little girl's questions were two of many hurled at Chevron Vice President Bryan Tucker during a two-hour community meeting Monday night about the oil spill that fouled Salt Lake City's Red Butte Creek, Liberty Park pond and, to a lesser degree, the Jordan River.

A few speakers at the Clayton Middle School gathering were combative. Most sought details: Where will crews clean up first? How long will it take? How do you file claims for overnight hotel stays if the stench forces you from your home? A couple of residents even praised Chevron's response to the accident."

Mike Gorrell and Derek P. Jensen report for the Salt Lake Tribune June 15. 2010.