OC Parks closes beaches in Laguna Beach area due to the oil spill

As of Sunday at 9 p.m., all beaches in the City of Laguna Beach are closed. This includes beaches operated by the County – Aliso Beach, Laguna Royale, Tablerock Beach, Thousand Steps Beach and West Street Beach.

A large oil spill was identified Saturday off the coast of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, resulting in ocean closures. Due to the toxicity of the spill, residents and visitors are advised to avoid contact with ocean water and oiled areas of the beaches.

The US Coast Guard is the lead agency coordinating the response to the oil spill incident. A unified command has been established and consists of Amplify Energy, the US Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. More information about the unified command response may be found at www.SoCalspillresponse.com.
Members of the public are asked to avoid assisting with cleanup in the oiled areas. Trained spill response contractors are working to clean up the oil. Public volunteers are not requested at this time, but information can be found at https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer. If anyone encounters oiled wildlife, please avoid contact and call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1-877-823-6926.