From: The Independent
Story by Tyler Hayden
UPDATE: Leak Contained, but At Least Four Miles of Coast Now Covered in Crude
An estimated 21,000 gallon oil
spill just North of Refugio State Beach coating 4 miles of the shoreline
and a sheen 50-100 yards wide (May 19, 2015)..
Originally published May 19, 2015 at 02:08p.m., updated May 20, 2015 at 08:00a.m.
Additional updates to this ongoing story can be found here
[UPDATE, Wednesday, 8 a.m.]: At around 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Santa Barbara County firefighters were dispatched just west of
Refugio State Beach to investigate a strong, gassy smell wafting through
the area. They soon discovered a river of oil spewing down a storm
drain and straight into the ocean that quickly covered four miles of
pristine Gaviota coastline in thick crude. The slick is expected to
travel farther east before it’s stopped and cleaned in the coming days.
Health officials ordered Refugio State Beach closed and its campers
relocated just as oil-covered birds and other distressed wildlife began
washing ashore. Fishing and shellfish harvesting has been shut down on
both sides of the beach, and news helicopters showed migrating whales
skirting the sheen. A family living near Orella Ranch evacuated their
home because the fumes were so overwhelming.
The accident has been classified by federal responders as a
“medium-sized” spill and was traced to an underground pipeline a few
hundred yards inland above Highway 101. The 24-inch pipe is owned and
operated by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline, which stopped
the leak at approximately 3 p.m. It’s unclear how long the pipe was
leaking, what caused it to break, or exactly how much crude escaped.
Plains initially reported that 21,000 gallons of oil made its way into
the ocean, but that number is expected to rise after county, Coast
Guard, and state Fish and Wildlife personnel tally the true damage.
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