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Home My WebLink About2021-10-14; Orange County Pipeline Oil Spill Incident, Report 2 (District -All); Harrison, DavidTo the members of the: CITY COUNCIL Date 10/,4 /~ CA _Jf._ CC ..Jl'... CM ~ACM ✓ DCM (3)..!L,_ Council Memorandum Oct. 14, 2021 To: Honorable Mayor Hall a bers of the City Council From: David Harrison, Assistant i r of Emergency Services Via: Scott Chadwick, City Mana •.1o1..1-- Re: Orange County Pipeline O cident, Report 2 (District -All) {city of Carlsbad Memo ID #2021194 This memorandum provides information related to the Orange County pipeline oil spill. It focuses on information and actions that are new since the last update. Background The initial pipeline survey work on the October 2 pipeline break revealed no indications of a continuing oil release. On October 11, the responsible party began soft patching to guard against future leakage, which is the first step in the repair process. Lifeguards discovered tar balls on Carlsbad beaches the evening of October 6. California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) teams collected tar balls from the North County beaches for analysis. Results of that testing have not been announced by the Unified Command. An Environmental Protection Agency representative said it is not uncommon for the results of such tests to not be available for a week or longer. On October 7, local officials including county Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, the president of the County Unified Disaster Council; Supervisor Jim Desmond, Fifth District; County of San Diego Emergency Operations Center representative Stephen Rea; U. S. Rep. Mike Levin, 49th District; Assembly member Tasha Boerner Horvath, District 76; and Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall and Council Member Priya Bhat-Patel, District 3 conducted a news briefing at Carlsbad State Park Beach. Their messages stressed the unity of effort among all the agencies involved in the oil spill mitigation and response, as well as the proactive measures taken to protect environmentally sensitive areas, wildlife and critical infrastructure, specifically the Claude "Bud11 Lewis desalination plant. Also, on October 7, the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services activated its emergency operations center. (While Carlsbad's EOC has remained activated for COVID-19 since 2020, Carlsbad had activated its EOC for the oil spill monitoring and response on October 3.) Carlsbad Fire Department 2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-2141 Council Memo -Orange County Pipeline Oil Spill Incident, Report 2 Oct. 14, 2021 Page 2 On October 8, Carlsbad staff reported to the Unified Command in Long Beach, to serve as an agency representative advocating Carlsbad interests and concerns related to the oil spill, and protection of Carlsbad sensitive areas and critical infrastructure. On October 9, as reports continued to emerge of oil contamination entering the San Diego County areas of responsibility, the San Diego County's Office of Emergency Services was elevated from an agency representative to a local on scene coordinator, a role that reports directly to the Unified Command. The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services is coordinating the response to the oil spill in San Diego County while continuing to fill the role as a local on scene coordinator at the Unified Command. Staff regularly participates in scheduled oil spill briefings conducted by the Unified Command EOC Liaison staff, U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Orange and San Diego county EOC representatives. Oil sheens, tar balls and reporting Since the initial report of an oil off the coast of Newport Beach on Saturday, October 2, the sheen has continued to drift in a southerly direction. On October 10, a U.S. Coast Guard overflight aircraft crew reported "light sheen" in the North County waters, 1 to -2 miles offshore, parallel to the beaches along Camp Pendleton, Oceanside and Carlsbad. A subsequent overflight on October 11 reported no sheens, oil slicks or anomalies. Sheens often break up or dissipate over time. County Office of Emergency Services and coordinating agencies have neither observed nor confirmed sheens since October 10. Carlsbad lifeguards, in coordination with State Parks lifeguards and supplemented by EOC staff, conduct daily monitoring of Carlsbad beaches and lagoons for tar balls and other signs of oiling. A report, including pictures, is provided to the tar ball reporting agency, Unified Command and the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services. This information is used to inform assessment and cleanup efforts. Visual spot checks of north of Tamarack Beach by SCAT on October 10 identified infrequent small pieces of tar ball, but nothing substantial. Spot checks by staff of the Agua Hedionda and Batiquitos lagoons and beach areas on October 10 identified no visual signs of oiling. Strong winds and heavy seas resulted in moderate tar balling on Carlsbad beaches on October 12, but no oiling was observed in the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Light to moderate tar balling was again observed by staff on October 13, just south of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon jetty. Very light particulate contamination at the Buena Vista lagoon shoreline was detected October 13. Council Memo -Orange County Pipeline Oil Spill Incident, Report 2 Oct. 14, 2021 Page 3 Near daily communication has been maintained during this period with Poseidon Water, the operator of the desalination plant, and Poseidon reports its instrumentation has shown no increase in oil contamination particulate levels. Oil mitigation and response Oil contamination surveys are conducted by shoreline cleanup assessment technique teams, known as SCAT teams. These teams are involved in both lagoon boom assessment and placement and beach contamination assessment. Cleanup work is referred to CDFW-OSPR "hot shot" teams or task forces, also from the Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response. Beach cleanup assignments are determined by the Unified Command based on SCAT team's assessments and tar ball reporting. These SCAT teams were first in Carlsbad to coordinate the installation of the boom at the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon mouth on October 7. Advance notice of the boo m's placement was provided to Poseidon. The first boom was placed across the inlet to the lagoon, east of Carlsbad Boulevard. A second boom was placed to protect the desalination plant suction intakes. SCAT teams returned on October 8 to assess Batiquitos Lagoon and surrounding beach area. A single boom was placed to protect Batiquitos Lagoon on October 10. The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation president was informed, and a board member was on site during the placement of the boom. UC contractor personnel routinely monitor the placement and effectiveness of such booms. A SCAT team cleaned Carlsbad beaches on October 13. The cleanup area included approximately one and a half miles of beach west of Aqua Hedionda Lagoon. Fifty-five bags of oil/debris were collected, and 3,100 tar balls were removed. Lifeguards have been identified as the local point of contact for SCAT team operations. Both the Unified Command the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services are working to strengthen the SCAT teams' coordination with local jurisdictions. On the morning of October 14, a cleanup crew task force was on site at the Tamarack Beach parking lot. Crews have been assigned to conduct cleanup at South Ponto Beach and Buena Vista Lagoon beach inlet to a beach area south of Chestnut Avenue. An additional crew has been assigned to clean the beach area south of Aqua Hedionda jetty. According to Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, Carlsbad can likely anticipate diminishing tar balls levels for weeks, if not months. Crews will return for periodic assessment and cleanup until an endpoint is determined by the Unified Command. Council Memo -Orange County Pipeline Oil Spill Incident, Report 2 Oct. 14, 2021 Page 4 Orange County Update Harbors: All harbors are open Beaches: Laguna Beach -Sand is open; however, shoreline and water are closed State Parks: All parks are open San Diego County Wildlife Impact San Diego County Office of Emergency Services reports ten dead birds have been recovered in the county. Carlsbad Public Information • Updated the city's oil spill response page on the city's website daily with information affecting Carlsbad. • Shared updates on city social media channels. • Posted information on NextDoor. • Took photos and video of lagoon booms to help the public understand how these resources are being protected. Continuing actions • Extended tar ball monitoring and reporting • Continuing coordination with the Unified Command and San Diego County Office of Emergency Services • Public information sharing • Anticipate cleanup's end point Possible future actions • Beach, water and shoreline closure assessment • Anticipate receipt of federal long-term monitoring and maintenance plan • Declaration of local disaster proclamation Potential community interests or concerns • Reports of beach contamination • Financial impacts and recovery • Environmental impact • Future of offshore oil operations Council Memo -Orange County Pipeline Oil Spill Incident, Report 2 Oct. 14, 2021 Page 5 cc Celia Brewer, City Attorney Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief Mickey Williams, Police Chief David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director