A broken pipeline has spilled an estimated 126,000 gallons of oil into the ccean waters near Orange County in Southern California. Experts have called this an ‘ecological disaster’ stating wildlife and vegetation along the shore is in danger. Photos of dead fish and birds are washing up on shore. Officials have announced they are rushing to gain control of one of the largest oil spills in recent history. The crude oil is now the topic of discussion and the beaches are now slicked with oil.
Huntington Beach, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles, was hit hardest with some 13 square miles of ocean and portions of its coastline “covered in oil,” said Mayor Kim Carr. read more
The oil appeared to come from a production platform operated by Beta Offshore, a California subsidiary of Houston-based offshore crude oil producer Amplify Energy Corporation.
The oil spill reached the shores of Huntington Beach late Saturday – five miles off the coast. Crews were able to remove more than 3,000 gallons of oil from the ocean off the coastline Sunday, according to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley.
Wildlife harmed by the oil was still emerging, with dead birds and fish washing ashore. Efforts to keep the spill from affecting any more sensitive marshland was ongoing. “We’re hoping we have minimal impact, but we’re preparing for the worst,” Christian Corbo, a lieutenant at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in a public statement.
Watch the shocking video below.
