Lifeguards have been scanning the shoreline since dawn for new oil washing ashore following a report of a sheen off Bolsa Chica late Wednesday, Dec. 15. But so far there’s no sign of anything on land.
The reports of an oil sheen late Wednesday had officials on alert the following morning as daylight emerged. Berms were quickly built and booms put out to protect sensitive wildlife in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Talbert Marsh and Santa Ana River.
“We don’t smell or see anything,” said State Parks spokesman Kevin Pearsall, who oversees both Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach, noting that lifeguards patrolled until midnight the previous night and started at 5 a.m. on Thursday. “So far, I have no reports.”
There have been reported of some people smelling something of an oil odor.
The sheen in the ocean water about half a mile offshore from Bolsa Chica State Beach was reported around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies to respond and look for the source, officials said.
No source was determined and early estimates indicated the sheen to be about 400 feet long and 100 feet across, a Coast Guard official said Tuesday.
Huntington Beach police reported it was about 20 yards by 150 yards, according to City News Service.
Orange County CEO Frank Kim told CNS he was called Wednesday night about the incident. He directed the county’s Public Works department to help build a berm at Talbert Marsh Wednesday night at the city’s request.
Huntington Beach firefighters smelled “a strong petroleum scent” that indicated some kind of oil sheen near the coastline.
Oil response officials were deployed Wednesday night, but did not find any evidence of oiling and decided to do an aerial search Thursday morning at first light, Kim said.
When the sheen was located, they collected a sample and are working to identify the source.
“It’s some kind of sheen and we don’t know what it is,” Kim said.
The Huntington Beach Police Department said Wednesday evening it had received reports of a strong oil smell near Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue, though State Parks officials on Thursday morning said there was no noticeable smell in the area.
Officials are nearing the tail end of cleaning up the 25,000-gallon spill in early October that shut down beaches for weeks, closed fisheries for months and put a spotlight on the offshore oil industry.
About three weeks ago, a sheen smaller than the early estimates from Wednesday’s report at 30-by-70-feet was determined to be possible residue from small droplets of oil coming from the damaged section of the pipeline.
Pearsall said he noticed more cargo ships offshore in recent days. Or maybe the storm this week churned up oil offshore, he said.
The area of coast near Santa Ana River – which sits between Newport Beach and Huntington State Beach – was supposed to be signed off today as clear, the one area of the coast still seeing occasional tar wash ashore from the initial spill.
Instead, officials are observing the area offshore to see if new oil moves into the area, he said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating, we never know from day to day what to expect,” he said. “Right when you think you’re in good shape, here we are, an incident happens to put us back.
“It’s affecting recreation, concessions,” he said, “It’s affecting a lot of stuff that can’t move forward. Here we are with another potential oil spill. It’s difficult, but it is what it is.”
While the sheen was reported off Bolsa Chica State Beach, booms are being places farther south, likely because of how oil traveled with currents during the first spill, he said.
Newport Beach Marine Safety Chief Mike Halphide said they were notified Wednesday evening of the oil sheen and also had lifeguards out surveying the sand early morning Thursday, not finding any notable signs of oil on the beach.
“For now, for us in Newport, we’re not seeing any new oil,” he said. “We’ve had little bits of tar ball in a couple of sections of our beach. We haven’t been able to get official signoff, but it’s very small, not different from natural seepage. There’s such a specific protocol in place, we’re finding we’re just slightly over what the acceptable end point is. If you’re not out looking for it, you wouldn’t’ see it.”
HB1, Huntington Beach City’s police helicopter, went up Wednesday to observe when the initial report came in “but it’s a tough thing to see,” Halphide said.
Halphide also had not had an update as of early morning Thursday about the possible location, size or source of the spill.
He said the county is currently conducting a dredging project in the Santa Ana River and quickly mobilized to build a sand berm to protect the Talbert Marsh area.
After the October oil spill, agencies are more experienced and can respond quicker, he said. “We’re a little bit already keyed up and ready to go. In that respect, we’re in a better position.”
Still, news of a possible new oil spill isn’t what officials want to hear going into the holiday, when thousands of visitors flood into town to visit the beach after schools let out for winter break.
“We know people coming to the beach is part of it, whether you live here or travel here, this is an important resource,” he said. “We’re hopeful, but we will be monitoring (and updating) the public regularly with any info we have.”
Reporter Caitlin Antonios and City News Service contributed to this report.
Source: Orange County Register
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