Source of Oil Spill Remains a Mystery

Authorities were no closer Friday to finding the source of the oil that has coated hundreds of seabirds off Southern California.

More than 350 Western grebes and pelicans have been taken to a facility in San Pedro where veterinarians cleaned their feathers of dark, heavy goo. At least eight of the birds died, said Rob Hughes, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game.

Meanwhile, many more affected birds have been sighted in coastal waters.

“There’s a source out there and we just can’t seem to find it,” Hughes said.

State officials initially said a mudslide in Ventura County’s Icebox Canyon ruptured a Vintage Oil pipeline. However, they said Friday it was unclear whether the pipeline south of La Conchita had ruptured.

Officials also didn’t know if the mudslide at La Conchita that killed 10 people dumped oil into the nearby ocean.

A mile-long oil sheen observed Thursday at Platform Holly off Goleta in Santa Barbara County raised alarms among environmental activists, but state officials said the location was too far north to account for the oiled birds, most of which have been spotted off beaches from Ventura to Santa Monica.

The sheen apparently rose to the surface from the underwater oil seeps that are common in the area, said Bill Morrison, a spokesman for the State Lands Commission. It may have continued to grow because seas in the area had been unusually calm for a couple of days.