Oil Spill Off Santa Barbara Coast Downgraded
GOLETA (AP) — Officials from Plains All American Pipeline say they hope the broken section of a pipeline that spilled oil along the California Coast can be removed for investigation by Tuesday.
The company on Monday downgraded the amount of oil that may have spilled. The new estimate of the worst-case volume of oil released is 101,000 gallons. That's about 4,200 gallons less than previously thought.
Plains All American is still measuring the spill as it cleans up along the Santa Barbara County coastline and recovers oil from the pipeline.
Oil blackened area beaches and created a 10-square-mile slick in the ocean after the onshore pipeline ruptured May 19.
Officials say one sea lion, nine pelicans and untold numbers of fish have been killed.
Two public beaches are closed until June 4.
(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)