By Alexys DeMaria & Cate Meister
The Huntington Beach community is grappling with the effects of a large oil spill that occurred over the weekend. Officials initially closed a six-mile stretch of shoreline on Sunday, Oct. 3, dispersing crowds that gathered for the last day of the Orange County Airshow—which the city cancelled that morning.
The spill came from a break in the San Pedro Bay Pipeline that brought crude oil from the Elly platform, an oil rig four-and-a-half miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, to the Beta Pump Station in Long Beach. The pipeline leaked for approximately three hours, releasing up to 144,000 gallons of oil into the ocean. The pipeline, which undergoes regular cleaning, was last internally inspected in 2019 and is a little over 40 years old.
Divers confirmed that a 4,000 foot segment of the pipeline was “displaced”, including a 13-inch tear which they believe was the source of the leak. Coast guard officials believe a ships’ anchor may have snagged the line.
More than 2,000 feet of booms have been deployed in an attempt to contain the area of the spill, though oil has been reported as far south as Dana Point.
Residents of Huntington Beach and surrounding cities reported smells of oil and tar as early as Friday afternoon. Satellites from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration captured images of slick not long after at 2 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Beta Offshore, the company monitoring the pipeline under the supervision of its owner, Amplify Energy, received an alert at 2:30 a.m. notifying them of a potential problem with the pipe’s pressure. However, the company did not shut off the pipeline until two-and-a-half hours later, at 6 a.m. The Coast Guard relayed information surrounding the spill to city and county officials the next morning around 9 a.m., informing the public of the incident around noon the same day.
In response, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has declared a state of emergency, reiterated by Governor Gavin Newsom, and the beach has been indefinitely shut down.
Because the leak resulted in the spilling of crude oil, the clean up process will likely be extensive and complicated.
Crude oil is unrefined and contains a wide array of chemicals with differing carbon chains, which means removing the oil can be tedious. Lighter compounds sit on the top of the ocean, although their volatility results in them burning off into the atmosphere in a short period of time, about four to five days.
“Those tend to be the ones that are the most highly toxic to humans and also to wildlife. So they have acute toxicity in the sense that you can be immediately impacted by it, which is why humans need to stay away,” science teacher and surf team coach Lisa Battig said. “There are some fish and birds and mammals who probably will be impacted by this initial [period].”
According to Battig, the heavier compounds will solidify into clumps of tar and sink or bury themselves into the shoreline. This tar can only be removed by hand, which can prolong the cleaning period.
These heavier oils are most commonly seen entangled in the feathers of shorebirds, which can deprive them of their ability to regulate body temperature. The oil spill threatens both the Bolsa Chica and Tablert wetlands, as well as the Newport Beach back bay. Combined, these areas form the largest natural wetlands in Southern California and are a major stopover point for fall migratory birds, many of which are endangered or protected.
Oil has also been found within the wetlands, leading to more adverse effects because of the depth of the water. Fish in the shallow water found in the wetlands cannot swim deeper to escape the oil, and birds can come into contact with fumes and gaseous chemicals.
The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach is currently rescuing animals affected by the spill. Senior Elea Vander Burgh works at the center and helps care for wildlife that comes in.
“We have pelicans and seagulls coming in covered in oil. Even while we can clean them up, they still have long term effects of oil in their system, which can be detrimental,” Vander Burgh said.
The center has been prepared for a spill of this magnitude since its conception. The organization was founded in the aftermath of an oil spill in 1990 when a tanker ship ran over it’s anchor and spilled 416,600 gallons of oil off the coast of Huntington Beach, killing over 3,400 birds. In 1998, the center moved from a makeshift tent to a building on Pacific Coast Highway, opening its doors to care for injured and oiled wildlife. It has received an influx of support in recent days, with dozens offering to volunteer.
“There’s been a lot of people even in the community, so many donations, so many volunteers willing to help. I think the community really wants to get [Huntington Beach] back to how it was before and make sure that the wildlife are okay,” Vander Burgh said.
Students can support the care center through its Amazon Wish List. The center asks anyone who wants to support its work to ship listed items to themselves then drop them off.
In addition to the local ecosystem, the spill has also impacted beach goers, particularly surfers, as senior and surf team captain Isabella Galiteva noted.
“I think the best phrase to describe it is soul-[crushing]…Surfing, for a lot of us, is a very, very big part of our daily lives and a daily outlet,” Galiteva said.
The team’s season has been postponed for an unspecified period of time, although Galiteva speculated about the potential of a rescheduled season in spring or summer. She also emphasized the environmental effects, criticizing the slow response time.
Battig and Galiteva both agreed that the spill will have noticeable economic impacts as well, with expected declines in tourism caused by the beach’s closure.
Those looking to help with the recovery process can volunteer with Surfrider Foundation’s Huntington Beach chapter in addition to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center.
But Galiteva believed there’s more that can be done.
“Another really big [way to help the situation is] divesting from fossil fuels and supporting renewable [energy], especially because as we’re moving towards a more sustainable and electrified world that runs on solar and wind, fossil fuel is going to become more and more obsolete,” she said.
Battig stressed political participation in response to the oil spill as well.
“There are lots of groups that just feel [offshore drilling] shouldn’t happen at all. There are some who feel that it is absolutely reasonable provided the safety measures are in place and are followed,” Battig said. “You can vote and make sure that what you believe is what our future looks like.”
