Windy Storm Moving Into Southern California Could Hamper Huntington Beach Oil Spill Clean Up Effort
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) — A storm is coming, and it could hamper clean-up and recovery efforts of the oil spill off Huntington Beach.
Another storm is on its way to Southern California and rain is expected to arrive Thursday night and last into Friday. But while the last storm brought a rare light show of lightning across the region, this storm is expected to be wind-driven.
Wind is expected to pick up Thursday night and peak Friday at up to 25 knots over the water – which could push more oil onto Orange County's beleaguered coasts.
TIMELINE: Huntington Beach Oil Spill
Oil apparently began leaking from a pipeline off Huntington Beach Friday night, but wasn't reported until Saturday morning. Since then, Orange County's beaches have been shut down from Huntington Beach to Dana Point, and there has been an all-out effort to keep the estimated 144,000-gallon spill from reaching the coast's environmentally sensitive habitats and wildlife.
As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities say 5,544 gallons of crude oil have been recovered. Ribbons of oil have been moving to the south, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
But with a wind-driven storm bearing down on the region, CBS2/KCAL9's Evelyn Taft says we could see windwaves move oil closer to the shore and impact vessels on the water.
