Cleanup was underway this week in a wooded, remote area of Ventura County after about 420 gallons of crude oil inundated a waterway, officials said, and crews were working to stay ahead of the storm.
An above-ground storage tank operated by Carbon California spilled the oil into a remote tributary of Sisar Creek near Ojai, contaminating about three-quarters of a mile of the waterway, according to state wildlife officials.
Although the waterway and spill are small compared to other major oil spills, “everything counts,” said Kristina Meris, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
“There’s wildlife, there’s the environment, and people live in these areas,” she said. “We want to clean up everything we possibly can as quickly as we can safely.”
Initial reports of an oil spill were received Tuesday afternoon, Meris said. But steep terrain, limited road access and the approaching severe weather complicated the cleanup.
Responders reached the creek bed Wednesday and “hit it pretty hard,” Meris said, setting up a safety zone around the site. Officials also were conducting air quality tests to evaluate health hazards.
“It’s a super remote and super difficult area to get to,” Meris told The Times. “The only concern for the response tomorrow will be the bad weather coming in, so the safety of our responders could become an issue.”
The spill originated from a damaged gas tank owned by Carbon California, a company that operates oil and gas wells in the state, particularly in Ventura County. Officials said the cause remained under investigation, but the company has been designated the responsible party and is participating in a unified command with state and local agencies, which also includes personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Cleanup teams are skimming and pumping oil from the tributary and deploying absorbent booms and pads to recover oil trapped along the creek bed. Crews have been able to contain much of the spill, Meris said, but storm conditions could hamper their efforts.
No wildlife had been harmed, according to initial reports, but Meris emphasized that swift response was critical to preventing harm.
“The quicker you respond, the quicker you get this cleaned up, the better for the environment,” she said.
The spill site is far from major roadways, part of what officials described as a rugged stretch of watershed feeding into Sisar Creek.
Officials did not immediately provide a timeline for a complete cleanup but said the response would continue until the creek met “established environmental endpoints” and recoverable oil product was removed.
Environmental advocates said the spill underscores longstanding safety concerns tied to Ventura County’s oil and gas operations, which are some of the oldest in the state.
Haley Ehlers, executive director of Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas, has been a watchdog for oil and gas operations in Ventura County for the last decade. She said local drillers operate under “antiquated permits” that allow producers to sidestep modern environmental standards.
“Over 90% of the land that’s leased for oil and gas drilling are under these antiquated permits that were approved before CEQA,” Ehlers said, referring to the California Environmental Quality Act. “There’s no expiration date on the permits. There’s no number limit to the number of wells that can be drilled or the type of extraction method that can be used.”
Ehlers raised concerns that even a small spill can damage the tributary and pose health risks. Even worse, she said, rural residents live within about a half-mile of the wells, and well within the cleanup containment zone.
“We know that that’s drastically impacting their health outcomes leading to things like cancer and asthma, respiratory issues,” she said. “It’s devastating to have another acute example of the negative and harmful impacts of the oil and gas industry in our region.”
Carbon California did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
