Jan 21, 2004
TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer
Yahoo News
LOS ANGELES - Investigators are testing oil wiped from the coated bodies of birds to try to determine the origin of a mysterious oil spill somewhere along a 90-mile stretch of the Southern California coast.
More than 1,100 birds have been brought to a bird care center in San Pedro, and a sea lion was taken to a nearby marine mammal center.
Officials are searching for the spill somewhere between Venice and Santa Barbara County. Possible sources of the oil include pipes broken in mudslides, natural seepage exacerbated by seismic activity, or even cars and trucks submerged in floods, officials said.
"We've done several overflights. We haven't been able to find any source at all," Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Lance Jones said.
Finding a source is especially difficult because there does not seem to be one spot in the water with a high concentration of oil. State wildlife officials were only tipped off to the problem when oil-coated birds were found on shore.
"Unlike a lot of spills, there isn't a big oil slick out in the bay," said Dana Michaels, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response. "This is a real mystery."
A total of 1,141 live birds had been taken to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro. Of those, 366 died or were humanely euthanized, Michaels said.
The center also received 246 dead birds, all of which were "visibly oiled," Michaels said.
Most of the birds at the center are Western grebes, which live entirely on the water and build nests out of floating debris. They are slender black-and-white birds, usually about 2 feet long, with long necks and long, pointed bills.
Rescuers have also found 13 endangered brown pelicans — large, stocky diving birds that are about 4 feet long. They were to be taken to Sea World in San Diego for further treatment.
Investigators are intrigued by the timing of the spill, which coincided with heavy rains and mudslides.
"It could just be from the heavy runoff that washed dirt down and maybe old oil that was spilled from production sites or some really old wells," Michaels said.
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