The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating what caused the oil sheen off Huntington Beach in Orange County this week, as cleanup crews fanned out Saturday morning along the coast.
The glow (it's still unclear, authorities say, whether it was caused by a leak or spill) was first reported Thursday night, not far from the site of a massive spill in 2021. By Friday night, officials had removed most of the oil, or about 85 gallons, from the ocean.
Coast Guard spokesman Richard Uranga said a flyover of the area early Saturday morning “showed a lighter glow on the water.”
Uranga described cleanup efforts along the coast Saturday morning as “very light,” but urged people walking along the coast with children or pets to keep an eye out for tar balls.
The city of Huntington Beach said Beaches remain open, but they warned against collecting tar balls to dispose of them. If you see tar, the city said, notify a lifeguard.
Uranga said researchers are still investigating the cause of the glow.
In a statement Friday, Amplify Energy Corp., which owns the pipeline that spewed at least 25,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean and along the coast in 2021, said it had “no indication that this glow is related to our operations.” ”.
“We will continue to cooperate with the United States Coast Guard and other relevant authorities,” the company added.
Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's oil spill prevention and response office said on friday that so far an oil-stained bird, a grebe, had been recovered.
The Coast Guard plans to conduct another aerial inspection Saturday afternoon.
