INCIDENT INFORMATION
Name of Incident: Pipeline P00547
Incident Location: Huntington Beach, Orange County
Product details: Crude Oil
INCIDENT UPDATE
The Unified Command continues its response to a crude oil spill in the vicinity of Orange County. Cleanup and recovery efforts are ongoing. A Unified Command comprised of representatives of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR), and BETA Offshore was established the afternoon of Saturday October 2. A representative of the County of Orange joined the Unified Command on Tuesday October 5 as the Local Government On-Scene Coordinator (LGOSC).
Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), Patriot Environmental, US Ecology, and West Coast Environmental, oil spill response organizations, remain on scene conducting skimming operations, deploying site protection strategies, implementing containment and recovery efforts, and performing shoreline cleanup. Resources on-scene include 511 response personnel, 11 spill response vessels (8 MSRC, 3 USCG), and 5 aircraft. 10,200 ft of containment boom have been deployed to protect environmentally sensitive sites, in addition to 2660ft of boom array for oil collection, with an additional 6,740 feet staged for deployment if necessary. 5,544 gallons of product have been recovered as of 1630 hours Wednesday October 6. On Saturday October 2, the protection of identified environmentally sensitive sites was initiated. Currently, protection strategies have been deployed at Bolsa Chica Restored Wetlands, Talbert Marsh, Anaheim Bay, Newport Slough Wetland, Santa Ana River, Lower Newport Bay, Aliso Creek, and the Santa Margarita River. Boom is staged for deployment if necessary at Inner Bolsa Chica and Upper Newport Bay, and boom was also deployed at Dana Point Harbor to close the harbor. See the following map for sensitive sites that have been deployed:
SAFETY
Comprehensive COVID-19 protocols have been developed and implemented for both field operations and incident command post personnel. Precautions include thermal scans prior to entering the incident command post, face coverings, physical distancing when possible, and disinfecting supplies. The Safety Officer is currently developing a more in-depth COVID-19 plan for the response separate from the Site Safety Plan. The Safety Officer continues to evaluate work crew needs to minimize occupancy in the incident command post.
Community air monitoring is being conducted by CTEH, a third-party contractor specializing in worker and public health and safety and during and after emergency chemical releases. Air monitoring and sampling efforts include both continuous air monitoring and air sampling on a 24-hour basis. On Monday, October 4, air monitoring personnel were deployed to the shoreline from Huntington Beach to San Clemente. There continue to be no detections of any hazardous constituent in the community at this time. Air monitoring equipment measures volatile organic compounds (VOCs), benzene and related compounds, hydrogen sulfide, and atmospheric flammability expressed as the lower explosive limit (LEL). Additionally, air samples are currently being collected at 4 sites (Newport Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Talbert Marsh, and Laguna Beach) with a plan to expand to 12 sites by today. Additional air monitoring sites will be added to this update when available.
VESSEL DECONTAMINATION
Response vessels are currently being decontaminated at the Port of Long Beach, So Cal Ship Services.
A plan to decontaminate recreational vessels is in place. Vessel owners that have come into contact with oil should not attempt to clean boats themselves or in an area that has not been identified by the response as an official vessel decontamination site. Specific quantification and protection protocols must be implemented. For concerns specific to recreational vessel decontamination, call the spill claims number at 1-866-985-8366. Amplify Energy will return your call within 24 hours.
CLOSURES
Beach Closure
As of Wednesday, October 6 at 1245 hours, Newport Harbor and Dana Point Harbor remain closed. A shoreline and water closure has been implemented at Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Dana Point Headlands, Dana Strands Beach, and Salt Creek Beach. All of the beaches within Laguna Beach City limits remain closed. For more information concerning state park beach closures, visit https://www.parks.ca.gov/ParkIndex.
Temporary Flight Restrictions
There is currently a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in place. Information regarding the TFR can be found at FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions — Graphics.
Fisheries Closure
On October 3, a fisheries closure was issued, prohibiting the catch and consumption of finfish and shellfish caught in the area of the closure. OEHHA has since revised its recommendation regarding the geographic location of the closed area based on the new oil trajectories and projections. Therefore, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and OEHHA are now advising that fishers avoid fishing in areas where there is visible sheen on the water. Please see additional fisheries closure information at www.socalspillresponse.com/fisheries-closure.
The revised closure area includes:
- For the coastal area – from Warner Ave, Huntington Beach (33° 42.595′ N, 118° 3.869′ W) to two miles north of San Clemente Municipal Pier (33° 26.427′ N, 117° 38.653′ W), San Clemente, including the shorelines and offshore areas and all bays and harbors between these points.
- For the offshore area – an extension of the coastal points to eight miles (seven nautical miles) offshore (33° 37.933′ N, 118° 10.093′ W to 33° 20.749′ N, 117° 44.373′ W).
Please see the revised fisheries closure map included below for additional reference:
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Accumulation of oil has been observed floating close to the shore in Orange County. Regular overflights continue to be conducted throughout the day to track the oil. Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT) conducted surveys to assess shoreline impacts from Highway 133 and Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach to the Orange and San Diego County line as of October 5. Shoreline impacts were observed at Huntington Beach just north of the pier and south to Laguna. There were 6 SCAT teams deployed today. Surveys were conducted from Surfside in Huntington Beach to the end of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach.
WILDLIFE IMPACTS
Nineteen birds have been collected live and five birds have been collected dead (brown pelican, ruddy duck, American coot, sanderling, eared grebe, Western gulls, Western grebes, snowy plovers) as of October 6. Of the live birds collected, one bird died and five were cleaned. Unfortunately, due to a chronic injury not associated with the spill, the pelican was humanely euthanized. 5 snowy plovers are in care, which is a federally listed threatened species. Impacted wildlife numbers are updated once daily in the evening. Wildlife Branch operations are continuing daily, monitoring the shoreline and on-water for affected wildlife. Anyone observing oiled wildlife should not attempt to capture it. Instead, please report observations of oiled wildlife to the oiled wildlife hotline at 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-800-823-6926). Please do not call this number for volunteer questions. Please see the volunteer section below.
VOLUNTEERS
The involvement of community volunteers has been approved by Unified Command as of October 5.
Additional tasks include:
- Pre-impact beach cleanup activities
- Community volunteers that meet the following minimum requirements are instructed to complete the volunteer registration form at https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be able to lift up to 25 pounds
- Be willing to follow County Public Health COVID procedures
- Community volunteers that meet the following minimum requirements are instructed to complete the volunteer registration form at https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer
The Unified Command Volunteer Unit will provide registration, screening, deployment(s), volunteer oversight, and demobilization. Safety briefings will be provided by a CDFW-OSPR Oil Spill Prevention Specialist, security will be provided by CDFW-OSPR Wardens, and CDFW-OSPR Volunteer Coordinators will be provided for volunteer management. Additional volunteer information is available at https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer and the Volunteer Hotline at 1-800-228-4544.
INVESTIGATIONS
The Unified Command’s response priorities are life-safety and protection of the environment, while the investigation is independent of the response. Multiple regulatory agencies are conducting investigations in coordination with OSPR’s Law Enforcement Division. The focus of these investigations varies from incident to incident; however, during a typical oil spill, Wildlife Officers coordinate with OSPR’s technical experts on causal analysis, Natural Resources Damage Assessment, economic impacts, and biological impacts. These investigations are complicated and may take several months, or as long as necessary, to complete the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the release. The investigation reports will be made available to the public once completed.
MEDIA
A joint information center (JIC) was established on Saturday October 2 with representatives of USCG, CDFW-OSPR, and BETA Offshore. A public website with information about
the response has been established at www.socalspillresponse.com.
Media inquiries can be directed to CDFW-OSPR Public Information Officer Eric Laughlin at 562- 568-5590. More information will be shared when it becomes available.