LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Unified Command is continuing its response Friday to the coastal oil spill in Orange and San Diego Counties.
San Diego County has designated a local government on scene coordinator and is now a part of the Unified Command.
Operations continue with more than 1,300 personnel conducting on-water and shoreline cleanup operations.
In Orange and San Diego Counties, the public can expect to see Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams and work crews equipped in protective gear, monitoring, inspecting, and cleaning the beaches to ensure that appropriate cleanup actions are taken.
The public may encounter tarballs when visiting San Diego and Orange County beaches. Oil contains hazardous chemicals, and for safety reasons, we recommend not handling tarballs or any oil. If beachgoers encounter tarballs, we encourage them to email tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov. If skin contact occurs, wash the area with soap and water or baby oil. Avoid using solvents, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, or similar products on the skin. These products, when applied to skin, present a greater health hazard than the tarball itself. More information about tarballs is available here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=29232%20&inline
The following beaches are considered soft closures, which means they fall under these conditions: beach open, parking lot closed, water and waterline closed
- Huntington Beach (City)
- Laguna Beach
- Newport Beach
- Huntington Beach State Park
- Bolsa Chica State Park
- Crystal Cove State Park
Salt Creek Beach, Strands Beach, Baby Beach in Dana Point are open with water advisory postings.
For more information about harbor status please visit:
https://www.ocgov.com/news/newport-beach-and-dana-point-harbors-reopened-following-oil-spill-closure
Updates as of Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.:
- More than 1,300 people are conducting response operations.
- To date, 5,544 total gallons of crude oil have been recovered by vessel
- 13.5 barrels of tar balls were recovered yesterday
- Approximately 192,500 lb of oily debris has been recovered from shorelines
- Shorelines continue to be surveyed and cleaned
- Four overflights were conducted on Thursday and five are scheduled for Friday
- 12,060 feet of containment boom have been strategically deployed
- For the latest wildlife information visit https://owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/pipeline-p00547-incident
Assessment teams were scheduled to check the following locations in San Diego County for any visible signs of oil:
- North Team: Santa Margarita River
- Harbor Beach/Oceanside City Beach
- Agua Hedionda Lagoon
- Del Mar Fairgrounds/San Dieguito Lagoon
- Los Penasquitos Lagoon
- La Jolla Shores/Scripps
Community members impacted by the oil spill who need to file a claim can call 1-866-985-8366. If your vessel has been impacted by the oil spill, we want to remind people not to clean their own boats, and to not use soaps or dispersants.
The cause of the spill remains under investigation.
For updates on the fisheries closures, visit https://socalspillresponse.com/fisheries-closure/.