‘Fingerprints’ May Point to Oil-Spill Culprit

As cleanup of a 150-gallon oil spill got under way Saturday at Sully-Miller Lake, Huntington Beach authorities attempted to track the source through chemical “fingerprints.”

A chemical analysis of crude-oil samples taken from the lake will be compared to samples taken from two nearby companies, Huntington Signal Oil Co., and Huntington Beach Co., according to Gary Glenn, an investigator for the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The oil flowed into the lake from a drainage ditch that passes through property owned by both firms, Glenn said. The lake is northeast of the Golden West Street and Ellis Avenue intersection.

“If we can fingerprint the oil and determine where it came from, we could quite likely take civil and possibly criminal action,” Glenn said. “If we could show the oil was intentionally or negligently released, that could be a criminal offense.”

Ducks Coated With Oil

Huntington Signal Oil Co. agreed to pay a hazardous-waste contractor to clean up the spill, but has not admitted responsibility for dumping or accidentally releasing the oil. Company officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.

At least three ducks were found coated with the black, gooey oil and taken by Orange County animal control officials for treatment and observation Friday. Authorities have not yet determined whether fish, vegetation or other wildlife around the lake has been harmed by the spill.

The oil spill was discovered Thursday night, when a Huntington Beach police helicopter crew using a spotlight noticed a surface sheen on the water. A coating of oil on grass and weeds along the drainage ditch was discovered Friday. In addition, oil had collected in thick, black pools along the water’s edge.

The cleanup, being conducted by Crosby & Overton Inc., was expected to be complete late Saturday or today, Glenn said. Workers pulled and bagged contaminated weeds Saturday, and began the vacuum process to skim oil from the water surface.