ASSOCIATED PRESS/CNN-LOS ANGELES – (WBAP/KLIF) – A massive oil spill, considered to be the worst in recent times, is still leaking offshore Huntington Beach, with dead fish and wildlife washing ashore, and a surface oil slick now estimated to be at least 13 square miles large. The pipeline believed to have caused the leak is only patched for now, but still leaking, at a current estimate of 126,000 gallons in the water. Officials are canvassing area beaches and already impacted ecological reserves, saying massive and permanent damage has been done to the environment.
Beaches are closed south of Los Angeles, and the final day of the Pacific Air Show that normally draws thousands of spectators has been cancelled. local air show scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled. The oil slick originated from a broken pipeline connected to an offshore oil platform known as Elly, Foley said on Twitter. Elly is connected by walkway to another platform, Ellen, located just over 8.5 miles (about 14 kilometers) off Long Beach and operated by Beta Operating Company, according to the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Beta and its parent company, Houston-based Amplify Energy Corporation, didn’t immediately return phone messages and emails seeking comment.
Associated Press reports Ocean County Supervisor Katrina Foley reports Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery told her that he encountered the oil slick while in a boat traveling back to the mainland from Santa Catalina Island. “He saw dolphins swimming thru the oil,” Foley tweeted.
Cleanup operations are being assessed as operations continue to stop the leak.
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