Oil cleanup underway off Southern California coast
The oil sheen in the Pacific Ocean spans 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide. The Coast Guard continues to investigate the source of the oil.
NOAA provides support to U.S. Coast Guard to clean up oil spills
FILE VIDEO: NOAA continues to provide scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard for oil spills by helping to estimate flow rates, detecting oil slicks, monitoring the site and assessing impacts of spill pollution on marine life. Brandi Todd, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator, explains more.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Ca. – Multiple agencies in Southern California are responding to an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, including the care of oil-covered wildlife.
The U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center received a report March 7th of a substance more than 2 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. Teams with the Coast Guard Pollution Responders completed a flight over the area and discovered an oil sheen in the Pacific Ocean spanning 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide.
A Unified Command with representatives from the US Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR), and Orange County Sheriff’s Department are responding to an oil sheen observed offshore of Huntington Beach, March 8, 2024.
(U.S. Coast Guard)
The oil is located between the oil processing platforms known as Emmy and Eva, according to the Coast Guard.
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Reuters reported on Friday that Amplify Emergy Corp. subsidiary Beta Offshore reported a spill of produced water from its offshore Platform Elly, causing the company to shut down the pipeline. According to Reuters, the same platform caused a large oil spill disaster in October 2021, shutting down area beaches.
Coast Guard officials said a discharge of produced water was released from Platform Elly on March 8. However, the "characteristics of the produced water from Platform Elly do not align with what was observed from the sheen. At this time, we do not believe the sheen and the discharge are related."
The Coast Guard continues to investigate the source of the oil.
A Unified Command with representatives from the US Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR), and Orange County Sheriff’s Department are responding to an oil sheen observed offshore of Huntington Beach, March 8, 2024.
(U.S. Coast Guard)
There are no beach or fishery closures because of the spill. California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment does not believe a public health threat exists.
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The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has been surveying the shoreline and recovering any wildlife affected by the oil. As of Saturday, four live birds were taken in for care, and three were covered in oil. Another injured snowy plover, which was not covered in oil, was also taken in for care.
Anyone who sees oil-affected wildlife should contact 877-UCD-OWCN (823-6926) to report it.
California's Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Orange County Sheriff's Office are responding to the oil spill along with the Coast Guard.