Miles of California beaches ‘could remain closed for weeks’ after oil spill

One of the largest oil spills in recent southern California history has closed miles of beaches in Orange County.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr told The Associated Press that beach closures could last for weeks or months.

Huntington Beach’s neighboring city, Newport Beach, advised its residents to avoid the beaches and areas impacted by the oil spill, according to a statement released on Sunday. 

The pipeline that is believed to be the source of the incident has since been shut down, and crude was no longer leaking on Sunday, according to the AP. The remaining oil has also been suctioned out, Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said to the AP.

The leak was reported on Saturday night, and on Sunday, divers were still making efforts to find out how the spill started as well as the location of its origin, the AP said.

The leak of at least 126,000 gallons of crude resulted in “significant ecological impacts” such as dead wildlife and oil-soaked beaches, according to a tweet from Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley. Foley added that the beaches were “unsafe for swimming or surfing.”

Ocean closures- unsafe for swimming or surfing. pic.twitter.com/qMF990KynB

— Supervisor Katrina Foley (@SupervisorFoley) October 3, 2021

As of Sunday morning, the spill was larger than a 2007 spill that leaked 58,000 gallons after a cargo ship hit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.