LOCAL : 4 1/2 Miles of Huntington Beach Shoreline Reopened After Tests

A 4 1/2-mile stretch of shoreline in Huntington Beach was reopened today to surfers, swimmers and strollers after tests on dozens of sand samples showed that the beaches, once contaminated by the Feb. 7 oil spill, are now safe.

Beaches from Magnolia Avenue north to Golden West Street were declared open, as was Bolsa Chica State Beach from the main lifeguard headquarters north to Warner Avenue, officials said.

A half-mile stretch from Golden West to the lifeguard offices--an area known as the Huntington bluffs--remained closed for further cleanup. Many of the rocks at the base of the bluffs were coated with oil, and workers are using a hot seawater solution to scour them clean.

Nearly 400,000 gallons of oil spilled after the tanker American Trader ruptured its hull, fouling miles of Orange County shoreline.

Biological tests run on more than 200 beach samples taken from the newly opened stretch of shoreline found the average level of petroleum hydrocarbons--potentially harmful to skin--was about 30 parts per million, well below the standard of 100 parts per million set by state and local health officials.

Favorable test results were also announced for beaches from Corona del Mar south to Crystal Cove State Beach, which have been open for some time but had not been tested for health problems.

The last major stretch of still-closed shore runs from Magnolia Avenue in Huntington Beach south to Newport Pier. The area includes the Santa Ana River jetties and a series of rock jetties in Newport Beach. Officials said it will be at least a week before the public ban on that stretch of beach is lifted.