Small Oil Spill Contained in Creek

Workers deployed two booms across a creek Thursday in an apparently successful effort to stop a small oil spill from reaching the Pacific Ocean.

None of the oil seeping into Ballona Creek in the Playa del Rey area reached the ocean, said county Lifeguard Lt. Jay Amundson.

Unocal accepted responsibility for the spill but disputed a Los Angeles County Department of Public Works estimate that 20 barrels of oil leaked into the creek. Unocal spokesman Jeff Callender said the company estimated the spill at two to three barrels.

Callender said the company is not sure what type of oil leaked out or exactly where it came from. “The assumption seems to be that it is crude,” he said. “Unocal has assumed responsibility for cleaning it up, but we’re still investigating to determine the source.”