Laguna Beach coastline largely oil-free as ships race to catch slick

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Pollution control vessel California Responder and a small tender sail of Monument Point on Oct. 4. Photo by Mitch Ridder

Beaches and coves throughout Laguna Beach dodged substantial oiling seen on Orange County’s northern coastline Tuesday.

City officials have confirmed oil has landed on Crescent Bay, Shaw’s Cove, and Picnic Cove by Tuesday morning. The contamination has been limited to quarter-sized tarballs. Some boulders along the shoreline at Picnic Cove were dotted what appeared to be splotches of oil.

The dark coloration on the sand at North Crescent Bay is likely sediment washed downhill or out of the storm drain during Monday night’s storm, experts said.

Quarter-sized tarballs stick to a boulder at Picnic Beach on Tuesday. Photo by Daniel Langhorne

A pair of pollution control vessels were underway off the coast of Dana Point on Tuesday morning, according to vessel tracker MarineTraffic. A third pollution control boat was southwest of Emerald Bay.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County on Monday to marshal additional resources to contain and clean up the spill that has leaked at least 144,000 gallons of post-productive crude oil.

“The state is moving to cut red tape and mobilize all available resources to protect public health and the environment,” Newsom said in a press release. “As California continues to lead the nation in phasing out fossil fuels and combating the climate crisis, this incident serves as a reminder of the enormous cost fossil fuels have on our communities and the environment.”

Orange County marine biologist Nancy Caruso said she’s deeply worried about an environmental catastrophe if large quantities of oil come ashore in the Marine Protected Areas.

“I’m praying every single day that it doesn’t come ashore again,” Caruso said. “Every single piece of rock, every kelp reef, any piece of everything has to be cleaned and we have a lot of surface area.”

Most wildlife doesn’t live through oil exposure, Caruso said, especially stationary and slow-moving organisms like kelp, anemones, sea cucumbers, and abalone. Fish will generally try to swim out of the way but once it touches their skin the compounds enter the bloodstream.

Birds can sometimes survive if the oil sticks to their feathers but “if it’s all over their feet and skin, it’s not a good outcome.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, eight oiled birds have been recovered by search teams coordinated by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, said Eric Laughlin, a spokesperson for the state’s Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. Among them was a Brown Pelican that succumbed to its oil-related injuries.

The oil spill’s timing is particularly tragic because last week Newsom signed Assembly Bill 63, authored by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) which changes state law to allow Caruso and other marine biologists to restore kelp forests off Laguna Beach. This restoration work was illegal in Marine Protected Areas due to an overlooked technicality.

The fear of watching poisoned kelp fall the ocean floor is deeply personal for Caruso, who spent 12 years leading hundreds of volunteers in planting kelp beds off Laguna Beach.

“It’s a devastating blow to our ecosystem and in our lifetimes we will continue to see the impacts,” Caruso said. “This is preventable, that’s the worst part.”

Mike Beanan, co-founder of the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition, echoed the dire assessment of how the spill is threatening the health and well-being of Laguna’s Marine Protected Areas and citizens.

“Kelp forests at Heisler [Park] may capture some of the oil slick, but as a precaution, we need immediate action,” Beanan wrote in an email. “This is all the more tragic as we will soon see the beginning of the California Gray Whale migration.”

A pollution control boom was strung under the Aliso Creek Bridge on Tuesday as a precaution for oil intruding into the estuary. Photo by Daniel Langhorne
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