UNOCAL 76 Tank Farm; Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Bay, California

Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo Bay, California | 1992-Aug-03

Initial Notification: On the evening of August 3, 1992, a transfer pipeline at the UNOCAL Tank Farm in Avila Beach, California failed. A reported 150 barrels of San Joaquin heavy crude were pumped through a hole roughly 10 by 5 inches before pumping operations could be stopped. The crude oil flowed downhill through a gully and over a 30-foot bedrock cliff into the Pacific Ocean. UNOCAL Oil Company reported the incident to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Group Monterey, who in turn reported to USCG Marine Safety Office (MSO) San Francisco. UNOCAL assumed responsibility for the incident and called in the services of the local cooperative, Clean Seas, to mitigate the spill. The USCG Captain of the Port assumed the role of Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC). USCG district 11. Keyword: absorbent pads, boom, California Department of Fish and Game, Clean Seas Inc., containment boom, fog, high-pressure washing, high-pressure warm-water washing, International Bird Rescue and Research Center, low-pressure washing, oil snares, Pacific Strike Team, pompoms, shallow water recovery, skimmers, sorbent boom, sorbent pompoms, vegetation cutting, volunteers, weir/pump skimmer.