HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (CNS) Authorities said Saturday that they have identified the source of an oil sheen spotted off Bolsa Chica State Beach that appeared to be heading north toward the Long Beach area.
What You Need to Know
- “A responsible party was identified as DCOR LLC,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Spill Prevention & Response tweeted
- It was a priority to isolate the source of sheen, the agency stated.
- Officials in Long Beach reported that they were monitoring the spillage and that it appeared to be heading north.
- Authorities responded last week to an oil sheen about two miles from the coast.
“A responsible party was identified as DCOR LLC,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Spill Prevention & Response tweeted. “The sheen was seen in the vicinity of their pipeline (Pipeline 0919), which runs from Platform Eva.”
It was a priority to isolate the source of sheen, and the agency did not stop there.
“Divers will descend Tuesday to inspect the line if the weather is clear. Crews are continuing to monitor the line for add’l shine and the line has been shut down. No oiled wildlife detected; @oiledwildlife is still on standby,” the agency tweeted. It was referring to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.
The sheen the second one spotted in the Huntington Beach area in about a week was detected Wednesday roughly a mile offshore from Bolsa Chica State Beach, according to the Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
State wildlife officials stated that protective strategies were applied at “sensitive environmental locations” as a precaution. These included Talbert Marsh, Bolsa Chica wetlands, Newport Slough, and the Santa Ana River.
As part of the investigation, samples were taken Wednesday. According to the agency, some tarballs were found on Thursday in Huntington Beach despite the deployments of protective booms.
Officials were looking out for any signs of trouble along the shoreline, from Anaheim Bay to Santa Ana River.
Officials in Long Beach reported that they were monitoring the spillage, which appeared to have traveled north, on Thursday.
“The sheen’s size is unknown at this time, but on its current trajectory northbound the San Gabriel River and Long Beach shoreline could be impacted as soon as… Dec. 24, according to the statement. “The city of Long Beach is actively considering contingency planning for different scenarios. It is prepared to clear beaches immediately, begin our own local mitigation efforts, and provide further updates as required.”
Authorities responded to an oily sheen two miles from the coast last week. Investigators determined that the sheen was not caused by a pipeline leak.
A major pipeline rupture was blamed for a large oil release off the Orange County coast in October. This caused a long closure of beaches along the shoreline.