FAIRBANKS -- Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. is working on a repair for a small crude oil leak found in a buried section of the trans-Alaska pipeline, but for now an employee with a rag suffices.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the company's Fairbanks shop is building a metal sleeve to contain the leak in a fitting between two pipes.

The company reported May 29 that the pipeline had leaked 10 gallons, but Alyeska spokeswoman Michelle Egan says it is now dripping less than a teaspoon a day.

The company is sending an employee to wipe the fitting twice a day to manage the oil.