Crude Oil Leak From Pipeline Mars Beaches
A leak in a submerged pipeline sent more than 400 gallons of crude oil bubbling up into the ocean off Seal Beach on Wednesday, contaminating three miles of shoreline and closing beaches from Anaheim Bay to Belmont Pier in Long Beach, authorities said.
The oil leak, which was spotted by a private citizen early Wednesday morning, occurred about 100 yards offshore in an Exxon pipeline that stretches from Belmont Island to a processing facility in Seal Beach. Belmont Island is about 1.5 miles southwest of the Seal Beach municipal pier.
Exxon officials estimated that 10 barrels of oil--420 gallons--escaped from the pipeline before production was shut down and pressure in the line was reduced to zero, company spokeswoman Carrie Chassin said. The eight-inch pipeline normally pumps 1,300 barrels of crude oil daily, she said.
“We are very sorry this happened,” Chassin said. “We will do everything we can to clean it up as soon as we can.”
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