CA Oil Spill Devastates Popular Beaches: Latest

CALIFORNIA — Authorities were investigating Monday whether a ship's anchor severed a pipeline on the ocean floor, which sent 126,000 gallons of crude oil spewing into waters off the coast of Orange County over the weekend. The oil company responsible for the pipeline is also facing questions about a 10-hour delay in notifying authorities of the leak, which began Friday. Authorities and the public were made aware of the spill on Saturday.

The compromised 17.5-mile pipeline was suctioned out to stop the spill, but crews were still being deployed by sea and land to contain the toxic oil and save "oiled" animals from the crude. The matter continued to wash up on shore along a shuttered stretch of popular coastline between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, which could remain closed for weeks or even months, officials said.

The U.S. Coast Guard was leading the response to the spill, which covered about 5.8 nautical miles of shoreline. The White House was reportedly "monitoring the oil spill" press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. The Biden administration was working with California and local partners to mitigate damage from the spill, assess the devastation and investigate potential causes.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr described the spill as a "potential ecologic disaster" over the weekend.

READ MORE: Amplify Energy Suspected In Oil Spill Vows to 'Take Care Of It'

The pipeline was operated by Amplify Energy's facility, Beta Offshore, which has been cited 72 times for safety and environmental violations that were severe enough to curtail or stop drilling to fix the problem, according to regulatory records.

The anchor became one "of of the distinct possibilities" behind the spill, Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher told reporters.

“We’re looking into if it could have been an anchor from a ship, but that’s in the assessment phase right now,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeannie Shaye said.

Massive cargo ships routinely pass through both the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, Coast Guard officials said.

On Friday evening, Rick Torgerson, the owner of Blue Star Yacht Charter, said locals asked him "Do you smell that?" By Saturday morning, boats were reentering the marina with their hulls slick with crude oil, he told The Associated Press.

On Monday, criminal investigators with U.S. Coast Guard were looking into the spill and whether the company failed to notice pressure anomalies in the pipeline Friday when an oil sheen was first observed. The investigation is being handled as a potential negligence case, federal authorities told the Los Angeles Times. The Office of Spill Prevention and Response with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife received a report of an “observed sheen in federal waters several miles off the coast of Huntington Beach” Friday at 10:22 p.m., according to the Times. That was 10 hours before Amplify Energy officially reported the leak.

Since the oil spill was reported Saturday, Amplify Energy has sent remotely operated underwater robot vehicles with cameras to investigate the pipeline. Since Monday, the cameras have looked at 8,000 feet of pipe and found one area of interest, Willsher said.

Amplify announced Monday that the leaky pipeline and the three oil platforms it serves were shut down. Operations at the Beta Field were also stopped.

The last "smart pig" inspection on the pipeline was done in 2019, according to Willsher. A smart pig inspection entails a camera that travels inside of the pipeline to assess any potential internal damage.

"Whatever needs to be done, regardless of cost, we will take care of it," Willsher said. The money to clean up the oil spill will come from the company's "significant insurance" and other funds on hand, Willsher said.

The spill that began spreading across the coast of Orange County Saturday has been moving south, Haye said Monday. This is due to natural factors, including winds and coastal currents.

Residents, business owners and environmentalists questioned Monday whether authorities responded to the slick in time to contain the disastrous spill.

"By the time it comes to the beach, it's done tremendous damage. Our frustration is, it could have been averted if there was a quick response," said Gary Brown, a Huntington Beach resident and president of the environmental group Orange County Coastkeeper.

The spill echoes back to another environmental crisis decades ago, when an estimated 3,400 birds were killed after the American Trader oil tanker ran over its anchor and punctured its hull on Feb. 7, 1990, spilling an estimated 416,600 gallons of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach.

The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center was established as a result of that spill to help injured and orphaned wildlife, including oil-soiled birds. It treated birds injured in the 1990 spill, according to the center's website. What began as a makeshift facility has evolved into the center that exists today.

As of Monday morning, officials collected and treated at least four birds that were oiled. One of them, a brown pelican, had to be euthanized because of "chronic injuries," according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"Significant ecological impacts in HB. Oil has washed up now onto the HB beachfront. We've started to find dead birds & fish washing up on the shore," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted at 12:48 a.m. She added that the damage from the spill could be irreversible, calling the beaches and marshlands "part of our heritage" that draw countless people to the shore.

The spill also affected protected wetlands. Chunks of oil reportedly seeped into the Talbert Marsh, a 25-acre ecological reserve for marine life.

"Our wetlands are being degraded, and portions of our coastline are completely covered in oil," Carr said Sunday.

Damage to the reserve was curbed Sunday as workers closed the tidal inlet with sand berms, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Skimming equipment and booms were deployed to prevent the flow of oil into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Huntington Beach Wetlands, although officials said wildlife was already being affected.

Some of the areas affected by the spill are home to threatened and endangered species, including a plump shorebird called the snowy plover, the California least tern and humpback whale.

The spill prompted the closure of popular beaches between Seapoint Street in Huntington Beach to the Santa Ana River. Laguna Beach closed all of its beaches Sunday evening as the oil neared its shoreline. Newport Beach Harbor was also closed to allow better access for vessels working cleanup of the spill.

Carr said the closures could last anywhere "from a few weeks to a few months."

Newport Harbor was temporarily closed to vessel traffic in an attempt to keep oil from entering the harbor, Newport Beach officials said. Beaches will remain open with water advisories in place, the city said. The spill did not affect Long Beach's beaches and swimming areas since currents were pulling south from Huntington Beach, city officials said.

Health officials warned people not to swim, surf or exercise by the affected beaches in Orange County because of potential health hazards. People were also urged not to fish in the area as the waters are considered toxic.

"Unfortunately, the size and potential impact of this oil spill make it necessary for people to stay out of the water and avoid contact with the oil," Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery said in a statement. "The City's top priority is to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors during the cleanup effort."

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife warned of a "threat to public health" from consuming any fish or shellfish taken from near the shoreline from Huntington Beach to about 20 miles south of Dana Point.

Read More About The Southland Oil Spill:

• Huntington Beach Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Orange County Oil Spill: Photos As Cleanup Ensues
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Newport Beach Harbor Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Laguna Beaches Close Due To Massive Oil Spill In Orange County
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill

The Associated Press and Patch staffers Ashley Ludwig and Miranda Ceja and Paige Austin contributed to this report.