Today is October 25th, now 3 weeks after the California Oils Spill and here’s what we know:

  • It is estimated that 25,000 gallons of crude oil were leaked, reduced from an earlier estimate of 100,000 gallons.
  • The leak came from a pipe connecting “Elly” oil rig off the coast of Huntington Beach, Ca.
  • Initial reports of the spill came on October 1st, however it appears that official response and clean up did not start occurring until the following day.
  • The annual Huntington Beach Air Show was cancelled on Sunday, due to the oil spill. Although the spill started on Friday night, the air show went ahead as scheduled on Saturday, before the extent of the spill was known.
  • Dana Point Harbor and Newport Beach Harbor entrances were closed for approximately 5 days, not allowing any boats to enter or exit.
  • Class action lawsuits are being organized for people and business affected by the spill.
  • Huntington Beach and Newport Beach beaches were closed for a week, while oil and tarballs were cleaned off of the beach.
  • It is still unknown why exactly the leak occurred when it did. It is being investigated and appears that container ship anchors could be to blame. But timeline remains unclear as some are reporting that an improperly placed anchor from Jan 2021 could have initially caused damage to the pipeline.