Exxon Valdez-Linked Funds to Help Bolsa Chica

Money linked to the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill that fouled Alaska shorelines will be used to clean up another oil-tainted coastline--the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

Those drafting the public purchase of Bolsa Chica learned Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will contribute $400,000 set aside from a settlement reached after the devastating 1989 Exxon spill.

The money is part of a much larger sum the oil giant paid the U.S. government as reimbursement for federal cleanup work in the wake of the spill, said Hugh Barroll, assistant regional counsel at the EPA.

“There’s no better use for the Exxon Valdez money than to clean up oil contamination so that wetlands can be restored,” said Barroll, who helped forge this week’s historic agreement for state purchase of the Bolsa Chica wetlands next to Huntington Beach.

News of the funding came as dozens of people involved in the sale rushed to complete paperwork before a noon deadline today. A pivotal cleanup agreement was signed Thursday by a key player, Shell Oil Co. affiliate CalResources, officials said.

In all, the state will pay $25 million for 880 acres of Bolsa Chica wetlands, part of the total $91-million price tag for state acquisition and restoration of the famed site that is home to many rare birds, waterfowl and fish. The land, formerly slated for 900 homes, instead will become a major wildlife preserve.

The biggest stumbling block in the state purchase was the discovery last year of widespread soil contamination left over from decades of oil field operations.

As a result, a major part of this week’s agreement calls for cleanup by CalResources, the current oil operator, and its predecessor Phillips Petroleum Co.