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California oil spill causes beach closures in Orange County

California Oil Spill
Posted at 12:18 PM, Oct 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-04 17:13:08-04

About 126,000 gallons of significant crude oil leaked into the waters in Southern California over the weekend that now threatens marine life and scenic beaches.

In a news release, Amplify Energy Corp., the Houston-based company that owns the pipeline the oil is leaking from, notified the US Coast Guard on Saturday after an oil sheen was spotted in the water near Huntington Beach.

The company said they shut down all of their production and pipeline operations at the Beta Field as a precautionary measure.

NBC News reported that on Sunday, crews had recovered 3,150 gallons of oil from the water.

Crews said they have already found dead birds and fish washing up on the shorelines.

CNN reported that all the beach in Laguna Beach have been closed due to the oil spill.

The Associated Press reported that the suspected leak of one of the largest oil spills in recent California history was possibly caused by an underwater pipeline.

According to the AP, the culprit of the leak may have been caused by a ship's anchor striking a pipeline on the ocean floor.

The AP reported that booms were deployed on Sunday on the ocean surface.