COUNTY TAKES STEPS TO PROTECT LOCAL BEACHES FROM OIL SPILL

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  tar balls via Ready San Diego

October 8, 2021 (San Diego) – The San Diego Office of Emergency Services today announced that tar balls have been found as far south as Mission Beach, believed to be from the Orange County offshore oil spill. Today shoreline cleanup and assessment teams are checking beaches from Oceanside to San Diego to guide cleanup operations. The teams will be sampling water, soil and air and testing will occur in the coming days.

As a precautionary measure, an absorbent boom to protect our waterways has been set up at the mouth of the Santa Margarita River and the Agua Hedionda/Carlsbad Desalinization Plant and will have 24 hour monitoring.  

Tar balls have been found over the past three days in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar and Mission Beach.  San Diego County lifeguards are monitoring for tar balls and any signs of oil. 

Beaches and waterways remain open, but that could change if a public health threat was determined. If people do encounter oil or tar at the beach, they are advised not to touch or pick it up. Avoid contact with it whenever possible, but occasional brief contact is unlikely to cause significant or lasting health concerns for most people. However, some individuals are especially sensitive to certain chemicals which may be found in oil slicks or tar balls and may therefore develop skin rashes or other reactions as a result. Wash off with regular soap and follow up with your primary care provider if a rash appears.

To report tar/oil email: tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov. In the email, please include: 1) Date the oil was observed 2) Time the oil was observed 3) Specific location where the oil was observed. GPS coordinates are preferred. 4) Descriptive photos of the oil (Please do not touch it) 5) A short visual/physical description of the oil 6) Estimated quantity 7) Contact information for follow-up.

At this point, there have been no reports of oiled wildlife but if any are observed, do no attempt to touch or help it, please leave it to the professionals and call 1-877-823-6926 and. County of San Diego Emergency Operations Center will remain activated to monitor the incident.

The oil spill has renewed calls by Congressional Democrats to ban oil drilling off California’s coast.

We have to do all we can to ensure that we phase out the 23 rigs that are out there now, and that we ban all new offshore rigs,” said Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat who represents the 49th District which includes coastal San Diego areas.

For the latest updates on the Orange County oil spill, visit https://socalspillresponse.com/. To report oiled wildlife, call 1-877-823-6926.

For the latest emergency updates in English and Spanish, visit www.sdcountyemergency.com, and download the SD Emergency app.