A roughly 2.5-mile-long oil sheen was spotted Friday in the ocean water off the coast of Huntington Beach, but its source remained unknown.
According to the Coast Guard, the slick is nearly 3 miles off the coast, near the oil platforms named Emmy and Eva. The slick was first reported at 6:50 p.m. Thursday, and Coast Guard vessels deployed in the water at daybreak Friday to investigate.
“The Coast Guard is contacting all potential spill sources in the area, but no source has been identified,” according to a USCG statement early Friday afternoon. “Additionally, the Coast Guard has hired an oil spill response organization to conduct offshore oil collection and is working to identify possible impacts to the shoreline and environmental protection strategies.
“At this time, no oiled wildlife has been observed. The public is asked not to approach impacted animals if observed and to call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1-877-823-6926. This is not an informational or volunteer hotline.”
Some tar balls were spotted on the sand in Huntington Beach, but it was unclear if the two events were related.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley visited Dog Beach in Huntington Beach and got some of the tar on her shoes, but she said the problem appears to be contained.
“It’s contained is what I understand, but they’re still investigating and the good news is we have all the resources out there,” Foley said. “And they’ll get it cleaned up quickly.”
Foley said regular Dog Beach visitors reported the tar balls were worse than usual.
An oil spill in the same general area in 2021 has led to reforms that appear to have improved the response, Foley said.
“We have a better system in place now,” Foley said. “Everybody is all coordinated now — better than they were before so they got a quick response out there.”
Brady Bradshaw of the oceans program at the Center for Biological Diversity called discovery of the sheen “grim,” adding, “We have to do a lot more than just try to mop up the miles-long mess.”
“This same tangle of pipelines and platforms produced the massive 2021 spill, and it’s time for state and federal regulators to take tough, urgent action to get this decrepit infrastructure out of the ocean,” Bradshaw said in a statement. “California’s wildlife and coastal communities have suffered too much for too long and there’s no more room for excuses.”
The 2021 spill dumped about 25,000 gallons of oil into the ocean, forcing cancellation of the final day of that year’s Pacific Airshow. The oil spilled from an underwater pipeline that carries crude from several offshore drilling platforms to a processing plant in Long Beach. Investigators ultimately determined the pipeline was damaged by the dragging of a cargo ship’s anchor.
That spill led to multiple lawsuits, millions of dollars in settlements and fines against pipeline owner Amplify Energy Corp.
Newport Beach officials issued a statement Friday saying they are “actively monitoring” the oil, but do not believe it poses a threat to the city at this time.