Possible Oil Spill Being Investigated In Huntington Beach

An oil sheen, around 2.5 miles in length and half a mile wide, was spotted just off the Huntington Beach coast on Friday morning.

Orange County officials, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are working to determine if this is an active oil spill about 3 miles offshore.

A spokesperson for Supervisor Katrina Foley said the sheen “is believed to be coming from a platform and not from natural occurrences.”

Huntington Beach City Manager Jennifer Carey said the city’s marine safety team was unable to substantiate reports along the coastline.

Foley said that tarballs have also been reported at Huntington Dog Beach. Some surfers, she said, reported tar on their feet and the gooey substance was also found on rocks along the beach.

She added that the county emergency operations center has been activated at a low level to allow quick coordination between the coastal cities.

Though the source of the oil sheen has yet to be determined, State Sen. Dave Min, who represents Huntington Beach, called for a shutdown of offshore oil platforms.

"There are no incentives to invest in safety measures or upgrading the infrastructure," Min said. "There will be more oil spills unless and until these operations are shut down."

In 2021, an oil pump line dumped about 25,000 gallons of crude oil into Orange County's coastal waters with the slick spanning from Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach to Corona del Mar. Clean up on some of the affected beaches lasted a month and it resulted in the death of some marine life.

Last year, Assembly Bill 631 passed, which increases penalties and fines for oil companies that cause major spills or other hazards.

Foley says "this is a serious situation, and we want to make sure that it gets addressed, handled well and that those responsible are accountable."