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May 21, 2015

California Declares State of Emergency as Oil Spill Grows 
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California has declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County
after a ruptured pipeline leaked oil into the Pacific Ocean. The
estimated spill size has grown fivefold to up to 105,000 gallons. A
Coast Guard spokesperson said the oil slick from the spill has also
expanded to nine miles.

Capt. Jennifer Williams: "We have basically two miles from shore a slick
that's approximately 3.7 miles long, that goes along the shoreline
heading east. Northeast, we have a slick offshore that's 5.3 miles. So a
slick totaling about nine miles in length. In addition, we are actively
on the beaches, and we have the contractors on the beaches removing oil
from the sand. This is the first step, because that's the easiest thing
that we can get to on the beach area. And we have plans, obviously, to
continue the cleanup of the rocky areas, the pebbles and the outcrops."

 

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