LOS ANGELES — An oil slick believed to have originated from a pipeline leak poured into the waters off Newport Beach on Saturday, spreading about 13 square miles, but U.S. Coast Guard officials believe it will be quickly contained.
Workers moved to shut the pipeline down and use pressurized equipment to retrieve as much oil as possible soon after the incident was reported at 12:18 p.m., said Coast Guard spokesperson Kate Conrad.
“We were alerted quickly,” she said. “We really believe we will keep this to a small contained incident.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife also sent crews to the scene after multiple reports of a sheen on the water about five miles off the Newport Beach coast. Cleanup crews are being mobilized, the department tweeted.
There were no immediate reports of “oiled wildlife,” a spokesman said, but the department’s investigation is ongoing. A crew from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network has also been mobilized.
The City of Newport Beach is monitoring the spill, officials said. The spill should dissipate through wind, sun and wave action and is not expected to come ashore, the city tweeted.
There were no reports of beach closures.
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