FEBRUARY 26, 2015
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
An unknown amount of a “rusty chemical liquid” spilled onto
the beach earlier this month near the Sandpiper Golf Course and Venoco’s facilities,
but what the substance is and where it came from is still being investigated.
Kristen Hislop, a Coastal Commission enforcement officer, said the liquid came
from a pipe, but who the pipe belongs to remains unclear as is the amount that
spilled because much of it was absorbed by the sand. Test results are expected
later this week.
Valerie Kushnerov, spokesperson for the City of Goleta, said
city officials have spoken with golf-course and Venoco representatives.
Kushnerov said the city’s initial queries don’t suggest the spill presents any
“imminent” health concerns but that “out of an abundance of caution,” the
incident has also been referred to the state’s Division of Oil, Gas &
Geothermal Resources and the county’s Environmental Health Services division.
Officials from County Fire, the Coast Guard, the State Lands Commission, and
California Fish & Wildlife are also reportedly involved.
Keith Wenal, a safety manager for Venoco, said the liquid — which the company believes to be water -didn’t
“originate from Venoco.” A manager for Sandpiper declined to comment.
Source: http://www.independent.com