Coast Guard Confirms Goleta Beach Oil Sheen Came from Seepage

Oil sheen found on the beach of Goleta Beach was confirmed today to be the result of natural seepage, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The oil sheen that was discovered July 29 about 1,000 yards off of the coast after kayakers arrived to shore with oil on their boats and legs.

Santa Barbara County fire officials responded to a call about the smell of oil at Goleta Beach before 10 a.m. and found two people coming to shore, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said.

The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted by Santa Barbara County Fire Department and immediately sent a team from the Marine Safety Dispatch in Santa Barbara to the location. A helicopter crew, accompanied by a polution responder, monitored the oil sheen during an over flight assessment, according to a press release.

The sheen was reported to be about three square miles. Coast Guard responders described the oil sheen as a thin layer that was "non-recoverable."

The Coast Guard said it conducted a full investigation of the source including sampling of tar balls on the beach and the oil sheen offshore. Lab reports determined that the oil sheen matched the material sampled from known naturally-occurring tar balls sampled.

The Goleta Beach oil sheen was reported more than two months after a pipeline ruptured off the Santa Barbara County coast and spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil on May 19.

The oil spill blackened beaches near Santa Barbara and created a 9-mile slick in the Pacific Ocean.