'Football Field'-Sized Oil Sheen Spotted Off Huntington Beach, Bolsa Chica: Report

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Oil spill response teams responded Wednesday afternoon to the sheen of an apparent oil slick off the coast of Huntington Beach described by police as "about the size of a football field."

The United States Coast Guard was flying over the oil slick near Bolsa Chica State Beach to evaluate the situation, where the sheen was spotted.

The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach stood ready to care for oiled wildlife, Executive Director Debbie McGuire told Patch. It was not known if the center was caring for any oiled wildlife.

If you see oiled wildlife, call the Oiled Wildlife Reporting line at 877-823-6926.

"Please do not attempt to capture. Call first," McGuire said.

Overnight, oil spill response teams laid out booms and built sand berms in response to reports of the oil slick more than a half-mile off Bolsa Chica State Beach.

There was no word yet if the slick resulted from a new oil spill from a broken pipeline, as was the case in October's oil spill that closed area beaches for more than a month and halted fishing into December.

Police received reports of "strong oil and gas" smell permeating the air near Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue.

It was possible that recent storms and rain "agitated things out in the ocean," Huntington Beach police spokesperson Jennifer Carey told reporters Wednesday night.

"We have been made aware of a potential oil slick off our coast & rcvd reports of a strong oil smell near PCH and Warner," Carey said on Twitter. "HB1 was sent to check out the area but was unable to identify due to water conditions."

The Coast Guard deployed booms at the Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach Wetlands inlet channels as a precautionary measure, Carey said.

Both the Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response responded to the incident.

As a member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, the Wetland & Wildlife Care Center facility was designed and can care for up to 400 oiled birds at a time in the event of a Southern California oil spill, McGuire said.

Center workers used the facility to care for and clean multiple sea waterfowl affected by the October Orange County oil spill.

"Funds from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network were used to construct a 2,625-square-foot building containing areas for bird intake, holding, washing, drying and recovery as well as a series of six large and four small pens with pools for bird recovery," McGuire said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors on Wednesday charged Amplify Energy Corp. and two of its subsidiaries — Beta Operating Co. and San Pedro Bay Pipeline Co. — with failing to adequately respond to eight leak alarms during a 13-hour period in connection with October's spill.

The company was also charged with improperly restarting the pipeline after shutting it down in response to the alarms.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates as more information is released.

Related:

Amplify Energy Faces Federal Charge For Orange County Oil Spill

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