Coast Guard investigates possible oil spill off Huntington Beach

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach in Orange County, officials said Friday.

Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner’s office confirmed by phone that “details are scant,” but officials have confirmed that an oil sheen visible on the surface of the water about 1.5 miles off the coast is not from natural causes.

Wagner and her colleague Supervisor Katrina Foley both tweeted about the incident Friday morning to their constituents.

“Early thoughts are that it’s from a platform,” Foley stated online at 8:05 a.m. “Initial estimates are about 2 miles wide,” Wagner stated on the social media platform X at 9:05 a.m. “Emergency personnel are on scene and working to identify the source,” he added.

In a phone interview with the Times, Foley said that officials were alerted last night of a potential leak near an offshore oil rig but were only able to confirm a spill this morning. The city of Huntington Beach has not announced beach closures just yet, but mariners have received a safety alert to stay out of the area. A county emergency response team is currently on the water assessing the situation, according to Foley’s office.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now involved in trying to determine if this is an active spill, state Sen. Dave Min said in a statement. Gov. Gavin Newsom commented on the incident as well, stating on the social media platform X, “We are actively monitoring” in collaboration between “local, state and federal partners.”

A KTLA-TV News helicopter captured images and video of a dark, reflective substance floating across the waters. “We’re seeing some tarballs coming up on the [Huntington] Dog Beach,” said Foley.

A resident of Costa Mesa, Kent Adams, was out on a walk with his dog where he noticed a frisbee-sized area of oil washed up on the south end entrance to the dog beach. “You rarely see that,” said Adams. “I usually stay away from the beach if I know about them, because I don’t want it all over her.”

There is no news yet of any clean up efforts.

Last August, officials advised the public to steer clear of Huntington Beach after a 40-foot vessel carrying 300 gallons of diesel sank just off the coast.

Four months earlier, a $50-million settlement was awarded to individuals and businesses affected by a ruptured underwater oil pipeline in 2021 that leaked about 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean and along the coast in Huntington Beach. The City of Huntington Beach received $1-million for the costs associated with the three month long clean up. Following an investigation, the National Transportation and Safety Board called for shipping containers to anchor further from offshore pipelines to prevent future accidents.