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An oil slick covering several square miles, apparently created by an undersea pipeline leak, was reported Monday in the ocean off Santa Barbara County, the Coast Guard said.
The crude oil was estimated to cover an area two miles by four miles, the equivalent of 12,600 gallons. There was a total of 121,800 gallons of crude, in the pipeline at the time, Petty Office Jamie Devitt said.
It was not known if the remainder had spilled out or remains in the pipe. “We’re making overflights now,” Devitt said.
Oil spill cleanup companies were called. Three vessels were on the scene, deploying a boom around the areas of heaviest oil. The slick did not appear to be drifting.
The site is near Point Arguello, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
