Oil-covered birds rescued after pipeline rupture sends crude into L.A. River
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- A ruptured crude oil pipeline in East Los Angeles sent an estimated 2,400 gallons into storm drains and the L.A. River after a telecommunications crew accidentally struck the underground line.
- Wildlife responders rescued multiple oil-covered birds from the river and transported them to a San Pedro care center as officials raced to contain slicks with booms and skimming operations.
- The intersection where the line was hit remains closed for excavation and repairs, while Long Beach monitors downstream effects and outreach teams warn unhoused residents living along the riverbanks.
Wildlife officials said this weekend that they had found multiple birds covered in oil after the rupture of an East Los Angeles pipeline Friday caused crude oil to spill into storm drains and flow into the Los Angeles River.
The birds were removed from the river and taken to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro to be treated and cleaned, according to a statement Saturday from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, a collective of wildlife emergency response organizations and universities.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response said in a statement Sunday evening that 25 birds had been rescued.
The rupture was reported around 3:20 a.m. Friday near East Cesar Chavez and North Eastern avenues, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
A telecommunications crew boring a 6-inch hole 10 feet underground to lay fiber-optic cable hit a pipeline that runs beneath the street and transports crude oil from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles, L.A. County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said.
The pipeline spilled an estimated 2,400 gallons of crude oil, according to the county Fire Department. It flowed onto surface streets and into nearby storm drains, eventually reaching the river.
The pipeline operator shut down the pipeline within 30 minutes. The intersection remained closed Sunday as crews worked to excavate and repair the line.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, the city of Long Beach said officials there were monitoring L.A. River conditions.
“At this time, we understand that no new oil is entering the river,” the statement read. “ Current mitigation efforts are focused on addressing the oil that is already present.”
An oil sheen was visible Saturday near the Pacific Coast Highway bridge over the river, the city said. Oil-absorbing booms were deployed at multiple points along the waterway, including at PCH, Willow Street and Ocean Boulevard.
“Along with the boom placements, crews have [been] implementing skimming operations where sheen is present to further remove oil from the river,” the statement read.
Homeless services workers were communicating with unhoused people near the river to tell them about the spill and to offer services, according to the statement.
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