Tar Balls Continue To Wash Onto Del Mar Beaches

Press release from the City of Del Mar:

October 11, 2021

A substantial deposit of tar balls washed onto Del Mar beaches Oct. 19 and within hours, a Coast Guard official assessed the situation to prioritize cleanup. In cooperation with County officials, City staff is requesting the deployment of a cleanup team as soon as possible. Del Mar's beaches are among many to have received their largest buildup of tar in one day.

Beach-goers are asked not to collect the material and to avoid touching it.

Authorities have set protocols for cleanup using regional strike teams and urge beach-goers to report oil-related contamination by emailing: tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov.

In Del Mar, the tar mess on Oct. 19 is the biggest to arrive since the Oct. 2 rupture of an oil pipeline off of Huntington Beach.

Air, water and sediment monitoring in Orange and San Diego counties has shown the tar does not present a public health concern for short-term exposures.

On Oct. 17, crews removed many of the protective booms at inlets to coastal lagoons, including the San Dieguito Lagoon in Del Mar. The booms, which are effective in preventing liquid oil from entering environmentally sensitive areas, are less effective in preventing intrusion by “weathered oil,” or tar. In addition, booms and their anchoring can harm sensitive habitat.

Last week, monitoring teams and lifeguards found minimal accumulations of tar balls on the beaches in Del Mar, which has remained open throughout the response.

Lifeguards urge beach-goers to report tar ball sightings to tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov and not to collect the material and bring it to a lifeguard station.

In the event of contact with the skin, wash the affected area with skin-safe cleaners and water. Do not use degreasers, cleaning solutions or solvents as they may irritate the skin further.

Open Tar Ball Facts flyer (PDF)

Open Public Health Advisory

Open the Southern California Spill Response website

Open the Oiled Life Care Network webpage

Click to download (PDF)

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