Community Volunteers Approved To Assist In Oil Spill Response
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) – The Unified Command leading the oil spill response in Orange County has approved the use of community volunteers to assist in the effort.
Community volunteers must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be able to lift up to 25 pounds.
- Be willing to follow County Public Health COVID procedures.
To register, visit https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer or reach the Volunteer Hotline by calling 1-800-228-4544.
Newport Beach and other coastal cities are also partnering with The Surfrider Foundation to help coordinate beach-related volunteer opportunities that do not involve the direct cleanup of oil.
Volunteers can register at www.cleanups.surfrider.org to be notified of future opportunities.
Members of the public who are not involved with the volunteer program are asked to avoid assisting with cleanup in the oiled areas and to avoid contact with oiled wildlife.
Those who encounter oiled wildlife should call 1-877-823-6926.
For more information and updates, visit the official incident response website here.
The pipeline leak, which was reported Saturday morning off Huntington Beach, may have spilled anywhere up to 144,000 gallons of oil into the ocean waters. The spill occurred in federal waters at the Elly rig, about 4 1/2 miles off-shore.
The rig and pipeline are owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy.