146,000 gallons of oil has spilled in Southern California. On the 2nd of October, a leak from an underwater pipe poured into Huntington Beach, California, causing oil to disperse into the water. There is currently an investigation to find the cause of the spill, though many believe a ship’s anchor hit the pipe.

Huntington Beach Port is home to marine life, such as fish, humpback whales, birds, dolphins. The oil has caused these animals to have trouble breathing and is causing many to die, which has a major issue to the ecosystem and food chain. Many species are threatened or endangered, so with no anthropogenic intervention, a couple of species may become extinct. Authorities are using barriers to stop the oil from spreading, rescuing oil covered ducks, while the Coast Guard are cleaning the oil in the ocean. The oil has spread into 13 miles of ocean, and has washed up onto the shore of beaches. In just a few hours, this pipeline leakage is an environmental catastrophe that will cause harm to our local ecosystems. 

“I am very disappointed I can’t go fishing. I won’t be able to go to the beach anymore and enjoy the beautiful beach,” Aaron Villa, junior at Cam High, said. The major amounts of oil have caused harm to the fishing industry, as well as people who fish as a hobby. These vast amounts of oil may cause many people to lose money, or even their jobs. Fishermen cannot catch the amounts of fish needed to meet the demands of grocery stores, restaurants, and cannot even sell in the fish markets. This is a detrimental time of uncertainty for many families trying to make a good income, and for people who enjoy fish and eat seafood in their diets.

 “…I won’t be able to go to the beach anymore and enjoy the beautiful beach,” Villa continued. Another effect of this spillage is people will not be able to enjoy the sand or the water at the beaches. Huntington Beach is known worldwide for the United States because of surfing, as Huntington Beach is a popular surfing spot. Many surfers along with average beach goers must wait to enjoy the beach again. It is unknown how fast the cleanup will be, organizations will need to clean the infected water, help animals that were affected, while an investigation is going on. Many people are hoping that this terrible event will come to an end with minimal consequences.