Environmentalists in Laguna Beach worry an estimated 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel that flowed onto Totuava Beach could impact the beach’s fragile Marine Protected Area.
“This is where lobster and fish nurseries are,” said Michael Beanan, an environmentalist who helped get Laguna Beach’s protected area established and is on the city’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. “South Laguna has worked for generations to protect these areas. In the 1960s it was one of the earlier places to have mapped marine refuges.”
Decades of over-fishing diminished much of California’s coastal marine life and prompted a massive effort in the late 1990s to establish a statewide network of Marine Protected Areas. Laguna’s rocky coastline and secluded coves convinced scientists and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to include it in the network, creating the largest protected area in Southern California and the only citywide reserve in the state.
The spill occurred early Thursday, May 7, after what initially appears to have been a mechanical failure of a generator at Mission Hospital Laguna Beach, said Mary Fricke, a spokesman with the California Department Fish and Wildlife. The incident remains under investigation.
It is likely the first fuel spill on one of the city’s beaches. Totuava and Thousand Steps beaches remained closed as of Friday afternoon.
Carrie Miller, a spokeswoman for Mission Hospital Laguna Beach, reiterated on Friday her previous comments that a generator fuel tank malfunctioning was “promptly detected and contained” and a cleanup was started right away. “Like everyone in Laguna Beach, we treasure our coastline and are committed to a thorough cleanup.”
On Friday, crews from Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response continued digging out fuel-soaked sand. Barrels of sand – encased in waterproof containers – were hauled onto two boats. The area’s steep canyons and sheer cliffs made accessing the site by land and hauling out the contaminated sand impossible.
“The contaminated sand will be taken to a secured storage area with the rest of the waste to be profiled for disposal, quantified and properly disposed of,” Fricke said.
Besides a game warden, the Fish and Wildlife department also has an environmental scientist and a spill prevention specialist at the site.
“There are certain benchmarks we need to meet,” said Steve Gonzalez, a spokesman with the wildlife department. They’re making sure all the (diesel) spill is removed. And, they’re always looking for oiled wildlife. If any oiled wildlife is found, the animals are taken to facilities that can take care of them. So far, no oiled wildlife has been observed.”
Still, teams at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, which rescues marine mammals along Orange County’s 42 miles of coastline, are on stand by. It is part of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.
“At this time, we have not been activated, which is good news,” said Krysta Higuchi, spokeswoman for PMMC.
Environmentalists are also watching the process.
“Inside the reef at Thousand Steps is an important feeding ground for dolphin and a resting place for young gray whales traveling north,” Beanan said.
Officials so far are unsure how much fuel, if any, has reached the water. A puddle of about 300 gallons was found on the sand early Thursday by OC Lifeguards. The remaining amount has seeped into the sand. Where the water table is, remains unclear.
“It’s going to get mobilized as soon as the tide comes in,” Beanan said. “In our world, nothing goes away. The question is, where is it going?”
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Environmentalists watching fuel spill cleanup near Laguna Beach’s protected marine habitat - OCRegister
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