A massive crude oil spill near the Orange County coast oiled shores over the weekend, killing wildlife and endangering visitors. The disaster could force officials to close Southern California beaches for months.
An estimated 126,000 gallons of oil leaked from a rig Saturday about five miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, officials said. The spill spans roughly 8,300 acres and reached shorelines by Sunday morning.
Oil slicks could be seen at Huntington and nearby Newport Beach, where officials reported dead birds and fish washing ashore. Environmentalists expect waves of oil to continue marbelizing Orange County beaches throughout the week. Fumes of diesel, oil, and tar wafted across the sands, posing health problems for those nearby.
“This oil spill constitutes one of the most devastating situations that our community has dealt with in decades,” Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr exclaimed. “We are proactively responding. We are doing everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our residents, our visitors and our natural habitats.”
Mayor Carr projected Orange County’s famous beaches could be closed for months.
A spokesperson for the company that owns the pipeline said Sunday it believed the leak had been fixed. But Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said crews’ attempts Saturday night were unsuccessful, and repair efforts continued.
Officials were unsure how the leak began and are still investigating what caused the catastrophe. They could not yet estimate how long oil had been spiling into the ocean.
Signs posted at Newport Beach warned visitors the ocean was closed for swimming. However, swimmers who ignored warnings told the Los Angeles Times they could taste the oil marinating with the ocean saltwater.
There are significant concerns about the oil spill’s impact on local marine and other wildlife. The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated with skimmers to deploy barriers, attempting to lessen the effects on the Huntington Beach Wetlands and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The area is home to several endangered species.
“We already have reports of dolphins being seen swimming through the oil slick. They can’t get away from it quickly. And now it has reached land,” Heal the Bay president Dr. Shelley Luce told KTLA. “This is a toxic spill. And many animals are going to die … more than we can count, because they will occur at sea.”
Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-Calif.-48) asked President Joe Biden to declare a major disaster for Orange County to allow federal funds and agencies to be deployed for the cleanup.
“It is imperative that the federal government assist in recovery efforts,” Steel pleaded of the president.
The disaster forced the cancellation of the Pacific Air Show’s Sunday events. The annual outing draws a crowd of thousands.
“The oil spill just shows how dirty and dangerous oil drilling is and oil that gets into the water,” Miyoko Sakashita, Oceans Director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Associated Press. “It’s impossible to clean it up so it ends up washing up on our beaches.”
In size, the spill has already surpassed the November 2007 oil disaster in San Francisco. Then, a container ship sideswiped the Bay Bridge, splitting open and spilling at least 53,000 gallons of fuel into the Bay. The leaked fuel oiled nearly 70 miles of shore and killed more than 6,800 birds.
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