Oil Spill | Orange and San Diego Counties, California | October 2021

What Happened?

Late on the evening of October 1, 2021, the San Pedro Bay Pipeline (Pipeline P00547) broke and spilled crude oil into the waters 4.5 miles offshore of Huntington Beach, California. Inspection of the pipeline indicated that the failure may have been caused by an anchor that hooked the pipeline, causing a partial tear. 

Over the course of the incident, an estimated 24,500 gallons of oil were spilled. Responders worked to recover and collect oil on the water and on shore. At the peak of the response over 1,800 personnel worked to assess, cleanup, and manage the incident.

What Were the Impacts?

The oil spill impacted ocean waters, rocky intertidal habitats, subtidal habitats, sandy beaches, and sensitive marsh habitats as well as the fish, birds, invertebrates, and marine mammals. NOAA and its state and federal natural resource co-trustees are investigating the extent to which the incident may have caused harm to fish, wildlife, and habitats. 

During the response a total of 116 dead birds were recovered and more than 30 live oiled birds were collected and rehabilitated. Among these birds, several threatened western snowy plover were treated and released. Marine mammal experts were also dispatched to respond to animal strandings. 

The spill also closed multiple beaches and harbors, affected the well-known Pacific Airshow, and impacted outdoor recreation opportunities such as beach visits and recreational fishing. 

What's Happening Now? 

On June 16, 2023, NOAA issued a Notice of Intent To Conduct Restoration Planning for Discharge of Oil From the Amplify Energy Corp Pipeline P00547 Into the Pacific Ocean Near Huntington Beach, Orange County, California. This notice conveys the trustees intent to proceed with restoration planning actions to address injuries to natural resources resulting from this oil spill. The purpose of this restoration planning effort is to further evaluate injuries to natural resources and services and to use that information to determine the need for, type of, and scale of restoration actions. Additional information can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/NRDA/Pipeline-P00547.

*to view October 2022 Natural Resource Damage Assessment Newsletter Updates translated into multiple languages, please see the "Links and Data" tab. 
 

NRDA Preassessment Activities

Natural Resource Trustees made up of state and federal agencies are assessing the ecological injuries and human use losses caused by the spill. Through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process, the Trustees will quantify injuries to wildlife, habitat, and lost use of those resources, and develop a restoration plan for public comment.

Data collection in the field and analysis activities are active to address injuries to the environment and lost human use.
 

Ongoing Call for Restoration Projects

The Trustees are inviting the public to submit restoration concepts or project proposals that aim to protect, restore, and enhance the resources potentially impacted by the spill. These project submissions will be evaluated during the preparation of a draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP) as the case assessment and restoration planning progresses. The draft DARP will eventually be released for public comment. The Trustees request interested entities to submit restoration project concepts or project proposals at fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov with the subject line “Pipeline P00547 Project Proposal”.