More than 126,000 gallons of crude oil flood California coast

Thousands of gallons of crude oil have once again flooded our waters. 

On the night of Oct. 1, reports of an oily sheen in busy coastal waters barely turned heads. By morning, thousands of gallons of crude oil had flooded our waters. 

In early October, a broken pipeline spewed more than 126,0000 gallons of crude oil five miles off the shore of Huntington Beach, California. The spill, which spanned about 13 square miles, seeped onto the beach and into the Talbert Marsh wetlands, a critical stopping point for migratory birds headed south for the winter. In the days after the spill, beaches closed, dead birds and fish began to wash ashore, and emergency cleanup crews took to the ocean.  

NPR reported Environment California State Director Laura Deehan’s statement: “The hundred-thousand of gallons of oil that spilled into the ocean near Huntington Beach provide a stark and dark reminder that oil is dirty, dangerous, and can make our air and water too toxic for life.” 

Environment California is calling on Congress to ban offshore drilling. 

Read more about the disaster. 

Learn more about our Oceans campaign.

Photo: Dead birds and fish have washed ashore, while luckier birds have feathers too slick with oil, stopping them to take flight. Credit: datsko via iStock

Mary Katherine Moore
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