Refugio oil spill

The U.S. Coast Guard captain overseeing cleanup of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture that closed two California state beaches and fouled offshore waters near Santa Barbara said May 21 that it may take months to restore the area to its natural condition. 

Southern California has declared a state of emergency due to two oil spills ranging to a total of 14.5 km.

The oil spills near Santa Barbara were caused after an explosion in an oil platform on Tuesday. Experts express warnings that 2,500 barrels of oil have spilled in the sea.

The governor of California declared an emergency as crews scrambled to contain an oil slick and clean up popular beaches after a pipeline rupture dumped thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean.