CA Oil Spill: Newport Beach Prepares For State Of Emergency

NEWPORT BEACH, CA —Newport Beach has declared a local emergency in response to the 126,000-144,000 gallon oil spill off of the coast, City Manager Grace Leung reported Wednesday. She signed the emergency declaration, which the City Council should ratify at its next meeting on October 12.

Following the disastrous oil spill, Newport's beaches have been left with sticky black tarballs, an oily sheen over the water, all from the punctured pipeline owned by Amplify Energy off the coast of Huntington Beach. Whatever the cause of the broken line, the cities of Orange County, like Newport Beach, have been left to pick up the pieces. Newport has issued a temporary closure of the Newport Harbor Entrance Channel, and ocean water contact has been made off-limits to the public due to the toxic nature of the spill.

"The state of California, the County of Orange and the cities of Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach have also issued emergency declarations in response to the spill," said John Pope, city spokesperson.

"Newport Beach has issued an advisory for the City's beaches cautioning residents and visitors to avoid contact with ocean water and oiled areas of the beach," Pope said.

Closing the entrance to Newport Harbor should help prevent oil from entering the harbor, according to reports.

All vessel activity can continue within the harbor itself, Pope says. However, boats are prevented from entering or exiting the harbor at the Entrance Channel.

Though many hands are outstretched to help, officials still ask that cleanup efforts be relegated to "trained spill response contractors."

Public volunteers are not needed at this time and could hinder response efforts, according to Pope.

Members of the public are advised to avoid contact with oiled wildlife. If anyone encounters oiled wildlife, please call 1-877-823-6926.

Stay away from tidepools and other sensitive wildlife habitats, Pope says.

There will be a chance to pitch in soon, however.

Newport Beach and other coastal cities are partnering with Surfrider to help coordinate volunteer opportunities soon. If you wish to be considered, register at www.cleanups.surfrider.org. Registered members will be notified of future volunteer opportunities.

Volunteers can also register with the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife at calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov.

Those who wish to donate to the response can go to www.surfrider.org/donate. All funds collected for the Orange County spill will be used for environmental cleanup, wildlife rescue and other needs directly related to the spill.

The exact cause of the spill remains under investigation. The City is continuing to monitor this evolving incident and will release additional information as it becomes available.

For more information and updates, please visit the official incident response website at: www.socalspillresponse.com.