THE CONSEQUENCES OF OIL SPILL IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
On 1st of October off the coast of Huntington Beach, Southern California, occurred an oil spill due to a failure at the oil pipeline owned by Amplify Energy Corp.
By Erika Scafuro
On 1st of October off the coast of Huntington Beach, Southern California, occurred an oil spill due to a failure at the oil pipeline owned by Amplify Energy Corp.
The area concerned by the serious loss, estimated at over 100,000 gallons, affected the stretch of water of Orange County, whose beaches are considered a paradise for surfers. Despite the fact that since October 1 has been communicated to the competent authorities about an unknown sheen of unknown source, due to the night coming on and the foggy conditions the next day, it was not possible to make a report in a short period of time. So the crude oil had a chance to spewed into the Southern California’s ocean and to do its damage to the environment and wildlife.
The targeted action of the authorities made it possible to somewhat contain the disaster, but the accident created very serious consequences for the entire ecosystem. The governor of California Gavin Newsom stated the emergency due to the oil spill, the water and beaches have been fully closed and the fishing has banned. A real disaster for those who work with fishing and tourism.
This has also fallen on surfing and its industry such as surf schools, surfers etc. October is one of the best month to practice surfing in California, but surfers couldn’t enter the water off to the shores of the iconic Orange County.
After ten days in which workers and volunteers cleaned up the beaches and the local authorities, following tests and water analysis, deemed safe to enter the ocean for surfers and swimmers, the Huntington Beach is back to being of surfers.
Not the same good news for fishermen since the fish could have ingested the oil and therefore this would cause damage to those who eat it. Causing a huge loss to the fishing industry and all business that depends on the ocean, already strained by the pandemic.
After about two months the situation is still serious for the fishing sector, since the dedicated areas have not been reopened.
An oil spill is something destroying for the environmental, it has a huge impact on the ecosystem. When an accident like this occur, it reminds us how ever so precarious the already threatened balance of our oceans and our fauna and flora. The need is that technology can increasingly be a concrete aid in preventing disasters like this one.
