The 126,000-gallon oil spill, caused by a leak from an offshore oil production operation, covers about 5.8 nautical miles.
"The City fully acknowledges the gravity of the decision to cancel the final day of the iconic Pacific Airshow, and the disappointment that this decision will cause," the city said in a statement. "However, the need for prompt and intensive intervention efforts requires complete and unfettered access to the marine environment."
The decision to cancel the popular airshow was made to facilitate clean-up efforts. 1.5 million people were in Huntington Beach for the airshow on Saturday.
Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said the spill of 3,000 barrels worth of oil was reported about 9 a.m. Saturday and drew a response from all levels of government and a unified command was established to handle the environmental crisis.
Carr described the situation as a "potential ecologic disaster," and said some of the oil had reached the shore and was impacting the Talbert Marshlands and the Santa Ana River Trail.
Skimming equipment and booms were deployed to prevent the inflow of oil into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Huntington Beach Wetlands, city officials said.
The city also closed beach access from the Pier down to the Santa Ana River jetty.
After the forced cancellation of Sunday's event, health officials warned people not to swim, surf or exercise by the beach because of the potential health hazards, including toxic fumes, which also threaten marine life and other wildlife.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who represents the impacted cities of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, said the damage from the spill could be irreversible and dead birds and fish were already seen washing up on the shore.
Significant ecological impacts in HB.
o Oil has washed up now onto the HB beachfront.
· We’ve started to find dead birds & fish washing up on the shore.o @Calwild has a hotline for wildlife impacted from the oil. Oiled Wildlife Care Network at (877) 823-6926. pic.twitter.com/rtgExxTXZj
— Supervisor Katrina Foley (@SupervisorFoley) October 3, 2021
Those who encounter oiled wildlife should not approach the animals and instead should call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at (877) 823-6926.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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