Oil shimmers in the ocean off a stretch of the Southern California coast are consistent with oil from local natural seeps, but old abandoned oil wells could be a factor, authorities said Saturday.
The shimmers have been observed off Santa Barbara County’s Summerland Beach since earlier this month and have been investigated by the US Coast Guard and state and local agencies under a unified command.
Laboratory tests from multiple offshore and onshore locations showed the oil is consistent with oil from the area’s highly active natural seeps, a command statement said.
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Oil sheen off a southern California beach is being investigated. Authorities are trying to identify the source.
(FoxNews)
But there are also about 200 “legacy wells” near the beach that were drilled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and not properly abandoned.
The wells are believed to be relatively shallow compared to modern wells and that makes their oil almost impossible to distinguish from oil released by natural seeps, so one or more of those wells could be a factor, the command said. .
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Extreme weather and tidal activity could also be a factor. Extraordinary storm surge in recent weeks has eroded large amounts of sand on Summerland Beach.
Going forward, the State Land Commission’s Coastal Hazards and Legacy Well Remediation Program will investigate whether a well is discharging oil, and crews will continue to monitor the shoreline for impacts. The unified command will demobilize.
