Cleanup and environmental groups are assessing and cleaning up an oil spill at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta.
The City of Goleta said the oil spill happened Tuesday as crews were working to plug an abandoned well at Pier 421 at Haskell’s Beach.
The city said a unified command has been established to respond to the 80 to 125 gallons of crude oil that was released.
As of now, several assessments have not detected any sheen on the water, but the city said ground crews did find oil and oily debris along the shoreline near Pier 421 and points east. The city said a team of cleanup contractors are working to remove that oil from the water.
The City of Goleta said scientists are keeping an eye on the region to see the environmental impacts this spill will have on the area, including snowy plover nesting sites near Coal Oil Point.
So far, three birds have been collected and the city asks everyone to avoid potentially-oiled wildlife.
The city said all beaches will stay open throughout the cleanup process and that as of now, public health, safety or recreational fishing are not a concern.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department, United States Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the City of Goleta and the California State Lands Commission are all responding to the spill.
