SAN PEDRO, Calif – A unified command has been established to respond to an oil sheen reported a half-mile off Bolsa Chica State Beach. The Unified Command consists of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), and Orange County.
Divers confirmed this afternoon that the mitigation measures for the Pipeline P00547, from an underwater pipeline oil spill in early Oct., remain in place and are holding.
Samples exhibiting characteristics of a petroleum product were collected from the oil sheen on Wed. Dec. 15, by CDFW and USCG responders, which is being tested at a CDFW lab to help identify the source.
Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique teams conducted reconnaissance surveys along the Orange County coastline including the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Talbert Marsh, and Santa Ana Riverbed and have not observed oil on beaches.
The Unified Command will conduct an overflight on the morning of Friday, Dec. 17, to further assess offshore areas for sheen.
Protective strategies at Bolsa Chica, Talbert Marsh and Newport Slough Wetlands remain in place. Beach cleanup crews and oil spill response vessels remain on standby ready to recover any product.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has been notified and remains on standby. Anyone observing oiled wildlife should not attempt to capture it.