Officials Identify Source Of Oil Sheen Off Huntington Beach Coast
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) – A second oil sheen was spotted off the Huntington Beach coastline Wednesday, about one week after the first was discovered in the same general area.
The sheen was detected about a mile offshore from Bolsa Chica State Beach, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
Authorities reported on Thursday afternoon that despite preventative measures being taken, several tarballs were located on shore in Huntington Beach.
In addition to this, a statement from the City of Long Beach indicated that shorelines could be further impacted, "The size of the sheen is currently undetermined, however, on its current trajectory northbound, the San Gabriel River, Long Beach shoreline and Port of Long Beach could be impacted as early as tomorrow morning, Dec. 24.''
They noted that the inclement weather on Thursday would impact containment efforts, and make it easier for the oil sheen to travel.
On Saturday, the OSPR identified a pipeline as the source of the oil sheen.
"A responsible party has been identified as DCOR LLC," the OSPR tweeted. "The sheen was observed in vicinity of their pipeline, (Pipeline 0919), which runs from Platform Eva."
According to OSPR, "protective strategies" were implemented overnight at "sensitive environmental sites" as a precaution, including Talbert Marsh, Bolsa Chica wetlands, Newport Slough and the Santa Ana River.
"An overflight is scheduled for this (Thursday) morning," according to an OSPR Twitter post. "Samples were collected yesterday as part of the investigation and the source is yet to be determined."
The OSPR
On Dec. 15, an oil sheen about the size of a football field was discovered about two miles off of Bolsa Chica State Beach. Investigators said that sheen did not appear to be the result of a pipeline leak. It's also unclear if it was connected to a storm that had occurred a day prior.
On the morning of Oct. 2, a rupture was reported to a pipeline owned by Amplify Energy in federal waters at the Elly oil-rig platform, about 4 1/2 miles offshore of Huntington Beach. The nearly 18-mile pipeline runs from Amplify's offshore drilling platforms to a pump station in Long Beach. About 25,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into the ocean.
Federal authorities confirmed that a section of Amplify's pipeline was damaged and moved more than 100 feet along the ocean floor, an indication that a ship's anchor may have caused the spill.
On Dec. 15, the same day that the first oil sheen was discovered, three companies were federally charged in connection with the October oil spill.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
