Bolsa Chica oil sheen likely caused by pipeline leak unrelated to October spill

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, December 27, 2021
Pipeline identified as likely source of Bolsa Chica oil sheen
Investigators have identified the likely source of an oil sheen spotted off the Bolsa Chica coast earlier this month and say it was unrelated to the massive spill in October.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Investigators have identified a company they say could be responsible for an oil sheen spotted near Bolsa Chica State Beach earlier this month.



The sheen, measuring roughly 20 by 15 yards, was spotted around Dec. 16 off the coast of Huntington Beach. Crews deployed booms to contain the spill and make sure it didn't reach the fragile wetlands nearby.



Investigators were initially trying to determine if it was related to the massive October spill or from a new source.



Now the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says a pipeline belonging to DCOR - a Southern-California-based oil and gas producer - may have leaked some oil.



Crews investigating oil sheen reported off Bolsa Chica State Beach


An oil sheen spotted off the coast of Huntington Beach is causing concern more than two months after a spill in the same area.


So far there has been no new evidence of oil or sheen, but divers will go back out to inspect the area Tuesday.



They have also determined this was not related to the pipeline breach that temporarily closed a large chunk of the Orange County coastline in October.



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