EAST LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Authorities Sunday continued to monitor the effects of an oil spill that sent at least 2,400 gallons of crude oil onto an intersection in East Los Angeles, where a construction crew laying out a fiber optic line ruptured an underground pipeline.
Some of the oil reached the Los Angeles River, injuring an unspecified number of birds.
Firefighters were dispatched at 3:19 a.m. Friday to the area of East Cesar Chavez and North Eastern avenues, according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer, who added that the crude oil was projecting through the asphalt at the intersection.
The “pipeline operator” was notified of the rupture and shut down the flow within 30 minutes of being notified, she said. The shut-off valve was near Dodger Stadium.
The 16-inch line extends from Kern County to the Port of Long Beach, she said, adding it will “take days” to repair the line. It was unclear how long the clean up might take.
“Petroleum product entered storm drains and was released into the Los Angeles River. Investigation into the cause and volume is ongoing,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Eric Laughlin said. “OSPR (Office of Spill Prevention and Response) personnel on scene include wildlife officers, environmental scientists and oil spill prevention specialists.”
“The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has been notified and is on standby for wildlife response,” Laughlin added.
OWCN officials said Saturday that oiled birds have been collected from the area by trained OWCN responders from UC Davis, Aquarium of the Pacific and International Bird Rescue.
“The birds have been transported to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center where additional OWCN responders are providing initial care prior to cleaning,” they said.
Long Beach officials said Sunday that they were closely monitoring conditions in the LA River in coordination with the Unified Command and through their own on-site visual assessments.
“At this time, we understand that no new oil is entering the river,” according to a city statement. “Current mitigation efforts are focused on addressing the oil that is already present. On Saturday, an oil sheen was observed near the PCH bridge. In response, additional oil-absorbing booms have been deployed at multiple points along the river, including Willow Street, PCH, Ocean Blvd and the approach to Golden Shore.
“As of today, no sheen has been observed in the areas of Golden Shore or Ocean Blvd, and mitigation efforts appear to be effective. Along with the boom placements, crews have implementing skimming operations where sheen is present to further remove oil from the river,” the statement continued.
A city homeless services team was conducting outreach along the river to offer services and inform people about the spill.
“There is still no impact to Long Beach recreational waters or beaches,” the city said. Anyone who sees an oil sheen in the LA River was asked to contact Long Beach Fire Department dispatch at 562-436-8211.
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