San Diego, CA–North County coastal cities are reporting multiple tarballs found along shorelines sparking concerns of crude oil spreading from Orange County to San Diego.
Tarballs have been found in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas beaches, according to reports from the city officials.
Oceanside city officials are closely monitoring the impacts of the oil spill that occurred October 2 off the coast of Huntington Beach around 50 miles to the north. Oceanside Harbor and Emergency Operations Center staff are prepared to close the harbor inlet with a floating boom if needed, according to the city’s news release.
Del Mar’s Emergency Operations Center is working with the San Diego County Emergency Operations Center and the Orange County Incident Management Team to plan, assess, and mitigate the impacts to their local beaches and lagoons in relation to the oil spill, city officials said.
Lifeguards along the coast have recovered the tarballs from the beaches and reported it to the San Diego County Health Department. They continue to monitor the local beaches and coastal waters for additional tarballs.
At this time, all North County beaches remain open.
Public health officials encourage the public to report tarballs or affected wildlife to lifeguards or authorities. The public should not handle and remove tarballs or wildlife due to safety concerns. For wildlife concerns, call (877) 823-6926.