City Of Del Mar: Oil Spill Update: Boom Placed At San Dieguito River To Protect Lagoon

Press release from the City of Del Mar:

October 11, 2021

Today, October 11, 2021, a boom was placed across the San Dieguito River just east of the railroad bridge to protect the sensitive lagoon and wetlands from potential oil and tar.  

Sand and water samples are being taken at three locations on the Del Mar beach to test for petroleum and bacteria to ensure the beach and ocean are safe for recreation. Del Mar beach remains open as monitoring continues.

A light scattering of tar balls continues on the beach in Del Mar. Authorities have not verified whether the tar originated from the 126,000-gallon oil spill near Huntington Beach that occurred on October 2, 2021.

The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is advising residents to exercise caution at local beaches and to avoid contact if tar balls are seen. Please do not touch or pick up the tar balls, and do not take them to the local lifeguard station.   

If contact occurs, the body area should be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water or other skin-safe cleaners. Do not use degreasers, cleaning solutions or solvents as they may damage the skin further. 

Please visit: https://www.sdcountyemergency.com/content/oesemergency/en-us/incident-page.1047.html to see the full advisory. 

If you observe any oil or tar balls, please email tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov and include the following information: 

1) Date the oil was observed

2) Time the oil was observed

3) Specific location oil was observed (GPS coordinates preferred)

4) Descriptive photographs of the oil (please do not touch it)

5) A short visual/physical description of the oil

6) Estimated quantity

7) Contact information for follow-up

If you see wildlife affected by oil, please do not attempt to help the animal yourself as this requires special handling.  Instead, please call (877) 823-6926. For an update on animals recovered during this incident, please visit: https://owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/pipeline-p00547-incident. 

For more information on the Orange County Oil Spill, please visit: https://socalspillresponse.com/

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This press release was produced by the City of Del Mar. The views expressed here are the author’s own.