Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation are investigating the cause of a pipeline leak that has spread oil across 9 miles of ocean along the Central California coast.
Officials say up to 105,000 gallons may have leaked and it's estimated that 21,000 gallons reached the sea.
Boats are towing booms to corral the two slicks off the Santa Barbara coast and workers in protective suits are raking and shoveling stinky black goo off the beaches.
Beaches and campgrounds in the area have been closed.
Crude was flowing through the pipe at 84,000 gallons an hour when the leak was detected Tuesday. It took three hours to shut down, though company officials didn't say how long it leaked before it was discovered or discuss the rate at which oil escaped.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
