HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (CNS) – Authorities announced Saturday that they had identified the source of an oil sheen off Bolsa Chica State Beach, which appeared to be heading north towards Long Beach.
What you need to know
- “A responsible party has been identified as DCOR LLC,” tweeted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Spill Prevention & Response
- Identifying and isolating the source of the shine remains a priority, the agency continued
- Meanwhile, Long Beach officials said Thursday they were monitoring the spill, which appeared to be traveling north
- Last week, authorities responded to an oil spill in roughly the same area but about two miles offshore
“A responsible party has been identified as DCOR LLC,” tweeted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Spill Prevention & Response. “The shine was observed near their pipeline (Pipeline 0919) which runs from the Eva platform.”
Identifying and isolating the source of the shine remains a priority, the agency continued.
“Divers will descend Tuesday to inspect the line as soon as the bad weather improves. In the meantime, crews continue to monitor for additional shine and the line has been closed. No oiled wildlife observed; @oiledwildlife remains on standby,” the tweeted Agency related to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.
The shine – the second sighted in the Huntington Beach area in about a week – was discovered about a mile off the coast of Bolsa Chica State Beach on Wednesday, according to the Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
According to state wildlife authorities, precautionary protection strategies have been implemented in “sensitive environmental locations” including Talbert Marsh, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Newport Slough and the Santa Ana River.
As part of the investigation, samples were taken on Wednesday. The agency reported that despite the use of protective outriggers, some tarballs came ashore in Huntington Beach on Thursday.
Officials monitored the coastline from Anaheim Bay to the Santa Ana River.
Meanwhile, Long Beach officials said Thursday that they were monitoring the spill, which appeared to be migrating north.
“The size of the gloss is not currently determined, but on its current trajectory north, the San Gabriel River, Long Beach coast and Long Beach harbor could be affected as early as … December 24th,” said in the explanation. “The City of Long Beach is actively reviewing contingency plans for various scenarios and is ready to clean the beaches immediately, start their own local mitigation measures and provide further updates if necessary.”
Last week, authorities responded to an oil spill in roughly the same area but about two miles offshore. Investigators said the gloss didn’t appear to be the result of a pipeline leak.
A major pipeline leak was blamed for a major oil spill off the coast of Orange County in early October, resulting in the protracted closure of beaches and shops along the coast.
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