On a Friday afternoon, October 1st, Newport Beach residents and boaters began to detect a hint of a “petroleum smell in the air.” The following day, oil was declared to be present on the surface of the ocean and making its way to the coasts of  Huntington Beach, California. It has been stated that about 126,000 gallons of oil were sent out into the oceans of California all due to a leakage in a pipeline. Many have noted that the oil leakage may not have been a recent occurrence and may have even been present “several months to a year ago” (CNN). What caused the pipeline to rupture? Answers may vary, but assumptions were made that it was due to a ship’s anchor which moved along the seafloor. 

This unexpected event has not only been a disappointment to city officials, but also scientists, Huntington Beach residents, and a large number of community surfers. Due to the oil spill, surfing became off-limits because “hazardous conditions” could cause great harm. Upset at the situation, surfers still tried to participate in the sport they love most. Surfer Ralph Rodriguez argues, “There’s no oil out there. If there was oil out there I would have been the first one out of the water. I’m old, man.” Additionally, the Pacific Air Show, which had drawn over a million spectators the day before, was canceled. This caused local shops and businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars and disappointed another million people who expected to show up for the finale of the show on Sunday. These local businesses are looking for ways in which they can properly recover to the best of their ability. 

The oil has also affected the ecosystems in the area and animal wildlife including birds and local fish. Gwen Goodmanlowe, a marine biology professor at California State University, Long Beach, states that if “Marine animals… ingest the oil, they have got lung infections, [and] they also can’t reproduce or get reproductive impairment.” This devastating news leads to the inference that the whole animal population will suffer from the pipeline rupture.

 Although these short-term effects are catastrophic to the Orange County beaches, many locals are coming together in volunteer efforts as well as donation contributions. This has impacted many to save more energy and become more eco-friendly as they do their best to improve the environment. The long-term effects are still unclear, but as a united, dedicated community, Orange County will continue to work together and recover from this disastrous occurrence.