2015 California oil spill

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Oil on Refugio State Beach
Aerial view of the break point

In the oil spill in California on May 19, 2015 near Refugio State Beach around 35 kilometers west of Santa Barbara , an oil pipeline of the Plains All American Pipeline leaked. The oil flowed into a canal and from there into the ocean. The line was switched off. According to local media, about 80,000 liters of oil leaked . The figures were later corrected by the Plains All American Pipeline by more than four times to about 400,000 liters. A similar accident occurred in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill .

background

Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline operates a high pressure oil pipeline along the Pacific coast of California. The affected line was about 18 kilometers long and was built in 1991. Fears that oil spills like the one in 1969 might occur again have long been felt in the region. A legislative initiative to stop the offshore oil demand off Santa Barbara County, however, failed in August 2014 in the California State Assembly .

The affected beach sections belong to the State Park of Santa Barbara and are popular excursion and camping destinations for the people of Santa Barbara .

accident

It wasn't until three hours after the leak was discovered that the pipeline operator, Plains All America Pipeline, brought the situation under control. The pipeline was closed. The oil flowed from the pipeline under the nearby US Highway 101 / CA 1 into the sea. According to the US Coast Guard, an almost 45 meter wide oil field spread over a length of around 6.4 kilometers along the coast after the accident . The oil film spread over a 15-kilometer strip off the coast.

County emergencies, US Coast Guard teams, and California State Parks began containing the oil spill. Employees from Exxon Mobil , which operates a nearby facility, were called in. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department found a 24-inch tear in the pipe.

Reactions

The operating company Plains All American Pipeline said in a statement that they deeply regret the leak and will do everything possible to limit environmental damage.

consequences

The oil spill has a significant impact on fauna near the coast, especially sea birds and marine mammals. Eyewitnesses tell of sea lions swimming in the middle of the oil spill. Richard Abrams of Santa Barbara County said shortly after the accident that there had been no reports of effects on the flora and fauna, but that there were consequences for the environment.

With the help of ships, attempts were made to limit and siphon off the surface oil at sea. On the affected beach sections began to shovel away the contaminated sand.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pipeline leak: oil spill spreads off California. In: Spiegel Online . May 20, 2015, accessed June 10, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Spiegel online http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/kalifornia-oelteppich-im-pazifik-groesser-als-angenommen-a-1034815.html
  3. ↑ http://ktla.com/2015/05/19/oil-slick-off-refugio-state-beach-in-santa-barbara-county-prompts-emergency-response/
  4. ↑ Article Refugio oil spill in the English Wikipedia
  5. ↑ a b http://www.nzz.ch/panorama/ungluecksfaelle-und-verbrechen/80000-liter-oel-nach-pipeline-leck-ausgeflossen-1.18545570

Coordinates: 34 ° 27 '37.6 "  N , 120 ° 5' 4.8"  W.