Cleanup Crews Tackling Last Patches of Oil

Workers in yellow jumpsuits patrolled beaches as far south as Laguna Beach today, cleaning up the last of the 394,000 gallons of oil spill trickling ashore looking much like chocolate mousse, officials said.

At mid-morning, Coast Guard officials said only two patches of oily sheen remained at sea, both about half a mile off the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier.

Officials of British Petroleum, which operates the American Trader, the tanker that spilled the oil Feb. 7, said they expect whatever crude is still drifting at sea to evaporate rather than move ashore.

Huntington Beach officials remained concerned about the oil at sea, however, and expressed skepticism of the report that the city is no longer under threat from the slick.

By late morning, 358 oil-coated birds had been rescued and 183 had died. Reed Smith, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, said some injured birds have recovered enough to be released at Point Mugu in Ventura County.

Today’s cleanup efforts were concentrated at Huntington State Beach south of the city’s pier and in Newport Beach between 47th Street and the Newport Pier, officials said. Meanwhile, officials in the cities south of Huntington Beach said very little oil is washing up on their beaches, but residents reported seeing light patches or scum.

“The beach is open and we haven’t found any oil,” said Laguna Beach lifeguard Mike Dwinell. “There was a light froth at Crystal Cover earlier, but that’s it.”

Bob Scruggs, public information officer for the Laguna Beach Fire Department, said the worst appears to be over for the beaches south of Huntington Beach.