Santa Barbara oil spill
The Santa Barbara oil spill, which occurred in January 1969, was a significant environmental disaster resulting from a blowout at Union Oil Company's drilling platform in the Santa Barbara Channel, just off the California coast. Over ten days, more than 11,000 tons of oil spilled into the ocean, spreading across approximately 200 square kilometers and eventually reaching the shoreline, where it severely impacted local beaches and marine life. The spill posed threats to various species, including birds, seals, and whales, and sparked a widespread public outcry for stricter regulations on offshore drilling.
Efforts to mitigate the spill included collecting oil with absorbent materials, burning, and applying chemical dispersants, with community volunteers playing a vital role in the cleanup. The incident led to lawsuits against Union Oil and its partners, with claims totaling up to $1.3 billion. The spill had significant political repercussions, resulting in a temporary halt to drilling in the area and the establishment of more stringent regulations for oil companies. Today, the Santa Barbara oil spill is remembered as one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding oil drilling and its impact on the environment.
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Santa Barbara oil spill
THE EVENT: Blowout in a drilling well in the Santa Barbara Channel off the California coast that resulted in a massive oil spill
DATE: January, 1969
The oil that spilled off the coast of the resort city of Santa Barbara threatened marine life and coated beaches, endangering the area’s tourism industry. As a result of the spill, the public demanded more stringent regulations on oil companies drilling in offshore areas.
Santa Barbara is an old Spanish mission town situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains in Southern California. Residents of the city have long been familiar with the effects of minor oil at places along the coast; oil has been escaping from natural fractures in the ocean floor for thousands of years. Hundreds of years ago, Native Americans reportedly caulked their canoes with oil-based substances found near the Santa Barbara shoreline.
In January, 1969, Santa Barbara and other nearby communities along the Pacific coast were confronted by a devastating oil slick. The source of the oil was a blowout at Union Oil Company’s drilling platform A, which was less than 13 kilometers (8 miles) offshore in the Santa Barbara Channel. Gas-charged oil escaped from below the metal well casing (a pipe set in the well bore) before the blowout preventers could be closed. According to observers, ocean water east of the platform “boiled” violently for several hours after the preventers were closed.
Some reports suggested that the oil leaked to the surface along an unmapped fault. In a period of ten days, more than 11,000 tons of free oil reached the surface of the water and rapidly spread over an area of 200 square kilometers (80 square miles). An estimated 10,000 barrels of eventually reached the shoreline, where it coated gravel-sized beach rocks and rapidly infiltrated the sand. The light-colored Goleta Cliffs a short distance north of Santa Barbara were marked by a black band of gooey oil.
The spreading oil slick threatened marine life in the area, including porpoises, seals, whales, birds, and fish. Numerous oil-soaked birds perished, but many were saved by volunteers who removed the oil with a solvent. U.S. Navy personnel expressed concern that the oil would harm porpoises near the naval base at Point Mugu, California.
Remediationcommenced immediately; methods included the oil off the water’s surface, burning the oil, applying chemical dispersants, and steam cleaning and vacuuming of beach areas. The most effective technique was the distribution of straw and other plant material along the beaches to absorb the oil. Many residents of Santa Barbara, including student volunteers from the city’s campus of the University of California, worked many hours spreading and collecting the oil-soaked plant material, which was then taken away to be burned or buried.
As a result of the spill, Union Oil Company and three partners (Gulf, Mobil, and Texaco)—as well as the US Department of the Interior—were sued for damages by the state of California and several coastal communities. The amounts of the claims ranged from $500 million to approximately $1.3 billion. The accident and the ensuing pollution also had major political repercussions. Public pressure resulted in a temporary halt on drilling in the channel, and more stringent regulations were imposed on oil companies drilling in offshore areas. Fifty years after the disaster, the Santa Barbara Oil Spill was considered the third-largest spill in US history.
Bibliography
Devienne, Elsa. "Did the Santa Barbara Oil Spill Save Our Beaches?" OUPBlog, 20 May 2024, blog.oup.com/2024/05/did-the-santa-barbara-oil-spill-save-our-beaches/. Accessed 23 July 2024.
Fingas, Merv. The Basics of Oil Spill Cleanup. 2d ed. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2001.
Fitzgerald, Edward A. The Seaweed Rebellion: Federal-State Conflicts over Offshore Energy Development. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2001.
Thulin, Lila. "How An Oil Spill Inspired the First Earth Day." Smithsonian, 22 Apr. 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-oil-spill-50-years-ago-inspired-first-earth-day-180972007/. Accessed 23 July 2024.