The leak is described as one of the largest in California history. The local mayor calls the incident a “potential ecological disaster”.
A damaged pipeline connected to an offshore oil rig in Orange County, California, has leaked more than half a million gallons of oil into the ocean. A team of rescue workers is working to stop the oil spill from reaching protected areas.
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At least 572,000 gallons of oil have leaked into the ocean off Orange County, California.
– The leak has affected Huntington Beach significantly, authorities in Huntington Beach in California say.
According to Mayor Kim Carr, the oil leak took place at nine o’clock on Saturday morning, writes Times of San Diego. The oil spill is said to have affected the six-kilometer stretch from Huntington Beach to Newtown Beach, an area that is very popular with surfers.
The leak can have major negative consequences for the environment and biodiversity on the beaches and in the wetlands in the area.
Rescue crews are working on Sunday to reduce the extent of the leak before it spreads to the protected wetland areas at Huntington Beach.
The US Navy and local companies have deployed aircraft in an attempt to get an overview of the damage. In addition, local contractors have been hired to help clean up, Reuters reports.
–A seagull flies over the oil leak that hit Huntington Beach on Sunday. Huntington Beach is a city of about 200,000 inhabitants south of Los Angeles.
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Save the wildlife
The leak is due to a broken pipeline attached to an offshore oil rig, according to Orange County officials. The oil is said to have started leaking on Saturday US time and is said to have covered an area of 34 kilometers in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Coast Guard.
The spill is also said to have caused great damage to Talbert Marsh, a protected wetland area near Huntington Beach.
According to CNN The local authorities could already early Sunday experience that dead fish and birds were washed ashore together with the oil.
Mayor Carr says the leak is a “potential ecological disaster.”
«Irreversible influence»
The popular beaches in the area were quickly closed, and it is feared that the oil spill will hit hard on the rich bird and animal life along the affected coast.
“The impact this has on the environment is irreversible,” said Katrina Foley of Orange County.
The oil leak is described as one of the largest in California history. In 1990, 1.6 million gallons of crude oil leaked when a tanker ran aground off Huntington Beach.
In 2015, a pipeline north of Santa Barbara burst, causing 541,313 gallons of crude oil to leak over Refugio State Beach.
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