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Officials: California oil pipeline split, apparently dragged

The Coast Guard says it did not investigate initial reports of the spill for nearly 12 hours because it didn’t have enough corroborating evidence.

Credit: AP

A warning sign is displayed as workers in protective suits clean the contaminated beach after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. The Coast Guard received the first report of a possible oil spill off the Southern California coast more than 12 hours before a company reported a major leak in its pipeline and a cleanup effort was launched, records show. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Authorities say the pipeline that leaked tens of thousands of gallons oil into the water off Southern California was split open and apparently dragged along the ocean floor.

Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said Tuesday that divers determined about 4,000 feet of the pipeline was “laterally displaced” by about 105 feet. Officials said Monday that they were considering whether a ship’s anchor might have caused the oil spill that has fouled beaches in Orange County.

The Coast Guard says it did not investigate initial reports of the spill for nearly 12 hours because it didn’t have enough corroborating evidence.

Read the full AP story here.

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