Memo: Initial reports of California oil spill came earlier

HUNTINGTON BEACH >> The Coast Guard received multiple reports of a possible fuel spill off the Southern California coast earlier than previously disclosed and asked local authorities to investigate about 15 hours before its own personnel confirmed a large oil slick, which came from a leaking undersea pipeline, records show.

The initial reports of a possible spill north of the Huntington Beach pier came into the Coast Guard about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s memo provided Wednesday to The Associated Press. The document said there were multiple similar calls over a marine radio emergency channel from boats leaving the Huntington Beach air show.

The department, which runs the county’s harbor patrol, was contacted by the Coast Guard and sent a fireboat to search for the spill but the crew lost visibility as darkness fell, according to the memo obtained through the California Public Records Act. The spill wasn’t confirmed until about 9 a.m. Saturday.

The memo, sent Oct. 3 to harbormaster and sheriff’s Capt. Gary Lewellyn, raises additional questions about the Coast Guard’s initial response to a spill that forced the closure of some of the region’s signature beaches and fisheries, and harmed animal and plant life.

Coast Guard Lt. Commander Jeannie Shaye confirmed Thursday that multiple calls came in over the emergency channel but said her agency has no knowledge of a fireboat going out to check for a spill that Friday. She said at about 6:30 p.m. the Coast Guard made contact with an anchored commercial vessel that had reported a possible spill and asked the crew to make a report to the National Response Center, which is staffed by the Coast Guard and notifies other agencies of emergencies for quick response.