Third North Slope oil spill in a week.

Small oil spills on the North Slope are continuing to keep BP Alaska crews and state environmental officials busy this summer.

The company has had to deal with three small spills in just the last week, events that appear to be related to maintenance and testing activities.

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On July 16, an underground section of pipe ruptured at the Lisburne field, dumping as many as 100 barrels of fluid -- mostly methanol and water and a small amount of crude -- onto a gravel pad and into a nearly tundra pond. The leak occurred while work crews were testing newly installed valves in that area.

Then on Thursday, July 21, BP discovered a new spill, this one in a flare pit at Flow Station 2 in the Prudhoe Bay unit. BP and state Department of Environmental Conservation officials said about 200 gallons of fluid -- a mix of briny water, gas and crude oil -- spilled into the flare pit at the production facility, creating an oil ring around the pit.

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