10/08/2021 12:21 PM PDT

San Diego County Beaches Are Focus of Emergency Shoreline Assessment, Tar Cleanup

Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment teams will be assessing beaches from Oceanside to San Diego today to guide cleanup operations. The teams will be sampling water, soil and air and testing will occur in the coming days.

Tar balls were discovered today in Mission Beach in San Diego and San Diego regional lifeguards will be monitoring for tar balls and oil. Tar balls were collected Wednesday evening in Oceanside and more were reported Thursday in Carlsbad, Encinitas and Del Mar.

As a precautionary measure, an absorbent boom to protect our waterways has been set up at the mouth of the Santa Margarita River and the Agua Hedionda/Carlsbad Desalinization Plant and will have 24 hour monitoring.  

Beaches and waterways remain open, but that could change if a public health threat was determined. If people do encounter oil or tar at the beach, they are advised not to touch or pick it up. Avoid contact with it whenever possible, but occasional brief contact is unlikely to cause significant or lasting health concerns for most people. However, some individuals are especially sensitive to certain chemicals which may be found in oil slicks or tar balls and may therefore develop skin rashes or other reactions as a result. Wash off with regular soap and follow up with your primary care provider if a rash appears.

To report tar/oil email: tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov. In the email, please include: 1) Date the oil was observed 2) Time the oil was observed 3) Specific location where the oil was observed. GPS coordinates are preferred. 4) Descriptive photos of the oil (Please do not touch it) 5) A short visual/physical description of the oil 6) Estimated quantity 7) Contact information for follow-up.

At this point, there have been no reports of oiled wildlife but if any are observed, do no attempt to touch or help it, please leave it to the professionals and call 1-877-823-6926.

County of San Diego Emergency Operations Center will remain activated to monitor the incident.

For the latest updates on the Orange County oil spill, visit https://socalspillresponse.com/. To report oiled wildlife, call 1-877-823-6926.

For the latest emergency updates in English and Spanish, visit www.sdcountyemergency.com, and download the SD Emergency app. 

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