An estimated 126,000 gallons of oil spill off the southern California coast which left fish dead, birds covered in petroleum and wetlands contaminated. On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said an investigation is going on to find out how the spill occurred and the type of oil involved.

The spilled oil has now engulfed about 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean since it was first reported on Saturday morning.

At a press conference, Kim Carr, the mayor of Huntington Beach called the spill an "environmental catastrophe" and a "potential ecological disaster". Carr added, "Our wetlands are being degraded and portions of our coastline are now covered in oil."

The spill was caused by a breach connected to the Elly oil rig and stretched from the Huntington Beach Pier down to Newport Beach. This stretch of coast is also popular with surfers and sunbathers. The oil rig was operated by Beta Offshore, a California subsidiary of Houston-based Amplify Energy Corporation. However, now the pipeline is shutoff by the company.

Carr, added, "In the coming days and weeks we challenge the responsible parties to do everything possible to rectify this environmental catastrophe."

Oil production off California's coast has declined sharply since its peak in the 1990s, in part due to the state's strict environmental rules. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said he wants to end oil drilling in the state by 2045.

Offshore drilling was restricted in the state after a devastating 1969 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara. A three-million-gallon spill off has been credited with helping to set off the modern-day environmental movement.

 Also recently in 2015, the Refugio spill off in Santa Barbara sent as much as 2,400 barrels onto the shore and into the Pacific. A $22 million settlement was finalized in October 2020 to restore natural resources damaged by the spill.

Jacqueline Savitz, Oceana's chief policy officer, said in a statement, "This is just the latest tragedy of the oil industry. It's well past time to prevent future oil spills by permanently protecting our coasts from offshore drilling."

Beaches were closed to swimming and a local air show was cancelled, although some people were undeterred from setting up chairs on the beach to enjoy a sunny Sunday or strolling along the pier.

Carr said officials had deployed 2,050 feet (625 meters) of protective booms, which help contain and slow the oil flows.

Image Source: Al Jazeera