Refugio oil spill

This article is about 2015 pipeline oil spill in Santa Barbara. For the spill that occurred in 1969, see 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill.

Refugio oil spill
Crude oil washes up on Refugio State Beach
Map
LocationGaviota Coast, west of Santa Barbara, California
Coordinates34°27′45″N 120°05′11″W / 34.46250°N 120.08639°W / 34.46250; -120.08639[1]
DateMay 19, 2015
Cause
CauseRuptured pipeline[2]
OperatorPlains All American Pipeline
Spill characteristics
Volume105,000 U.S. gallons (2,500 barrels)
Shoreline impacted7 miles (11 km) coated with crude oil; tar balls damaged beaches more than 100 miles (160 km) down the coast[3][4]

The Refugio oil spill on May 19, 2015, contaminated one of the most biologically diverse areas of the West Coast of the United States with 142,800 U.S. gallons (3,400 barrels; 541,000 liters) of crude oil.[2] The corroded pipeline that caused the spill closed indefinitely, resulting in financial impacts to the county estimated as high as $74 million as it and a related pipeline remained out of service for three years.[5] The cost of the cleanup was estimated by the company to be $96 million[6] with overall expenses including expected legal claims and potential settlements to be around $257 million.[7]

The oil spill, on the Gaviota Coast immediately north of Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, California,[2] originated in a 2 feet (61 cm) diameter underground pipeline named Line 901 owned by Plains All American Pipeline. Crude oil produced by offshore platforms was transported from onshore receiving plants to another pipeline that transported the oil inland for processing.[8] The oil pipeline operators in Midland, Texas had turned off an alarm that would have notified them of the leak as they were dealing with a separate problem with a pump. The 28-year-old pipeline was not equipped with an automatic shut-off valve and was eventually shut down by control operators when they were notified of the leak from parties who visually located the spill.[9]

Hundreds of animals along the coast were coated with the thick crude oil and many died.[10] State parks and beaches located along the Gaviota Coast were temporarily closed. While much smaller than the oil rig blowout that resulted in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, this spill may have greater long term effects due to its potential impact on four state marine protected areas. Due to the unique characteristics of the area, it is one of the most studied marine environments in the United States.

  1. ^ Refugio Incident/Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Cal Spill Watch (California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
  2. ^ a b c Cooper, Lara (May 19, 2015). "Oil Spill Reported on Coast Near Refugio State Beach". Noozhawk. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference coast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference chaos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kacik, Alex (November 5, 2015). "Refugio oil spill pipeline might take five years to get back online". Pacific Coast Business Times. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference hearing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference pacbiz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Panzar, Javier (June 10, 2015). "Santa Barbara County official rejects plan to move crude oil by truck". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Bartholomew (May 19, 2016). "Turned-off alarm delayed response to Refugio oil spill, federal report says". Ventura County Star. USA Today. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  10. ^ Siegler, Kirk (June 5, 2015). "Los Angeles Oil Blobs Could Be Related To Santa Barbara Spill". NPR News. Retrieved November 29, 2015.