SoCal oil spill killing wildlife and could close beaches for months

A massive crude oil spill off the coast of Southern California – estimated to be at least 126,000 gallons – hit the shores of Huntington Beach, damaging local wildlife and possibly shutting down miles of beaches for months at a time. popular surf destination.

The pipeline suspected of being the source of the spill has been shut down, according to the head of the company that operates it, while divers on site continue to search for the exact cause of the spill, considered one of the most important of recent times. History of Southern California.

The origin of the leak was a ruptured Elly Platform, about 5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, according to officials.

“I don’t expect it to be more. That’s the capacity of the entire pipeline, ”Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said at a press conference on Sunday. He said dozens of nearby Amplify platforms have also been closed.

Crews of skimmers led by the U.S. Coast Guard worked to establish floating barriers known as booms to prevent the mile-wide burst, first seen by boaters on Saturday, from entering the wetlands and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, officials said.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said the famous six miles of “Surf City USA” beaches could remain closed for weeks or even months as the city cleans sticky tar-like balls from the sand.

“This oil spill is one of the most devastating situations our community has faced in decades,” Carr said.

The spill also forced the cancellation of the last day of the annual Pacific Air Show which typically draws thousands to Huntington Beach, a town of about 199,000 residents about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

Bands of dead animals, mostly birds and fish, washed up on the shore with the crude oil. Environmentalists believe it will only get worse as it grows inland, polluting fragile wetlands.

“We already have reports of dolphins seen swimming through the oil slick. They can’t get out of this quickly. And now he’s made it to dry land, ”Heal the Bay CEO Dr Shelley Luce told KTLA. “This is a toxic spill. And many, many animals are going to die. And more than we can count, because they will happen at sea. ”

“We have been working with our federal, state and county partners to mitigate the impact that could be a potential environmental disaster,” Mayor Carr said Saturday.

Many endangered and threatened species live in the area, including a plump shorebird called the snow plover, the humpback whale and the California humpback whale, as well as a fishing industry and migratory birds on the Pacific flyway.

Miyoko Sakashita, director of the oceans program at the Center for Biological Diversity, told AP oil spills like this can have long-term impacts on wildlife.

“The oil spill shows how dirty and dangerous oil drilling is and how oil gets into the water. It’s impossible to clean it up so it ends up washing up on our beaches and people come in contact with it and wildlife come in contact with it, ”she said. “It has lasting effects on animal husbandry and reproduction. It’s really sad to see this large oiled sample.

With post wires