Spill at Adams cost $1.5M

Cleaning up a January oil spill in Huntington Beach cost Orange County about $1.5 million, but the county expects to be fully repaid.

The Jan. 22 spill that released an estimated 672 gallons of oil into a flood control channel was quickly contained and did not reach surrounding wetlands or the ocean, but did contaminate 1.8 miles of the channel between Adams Avenue and Magnolia Street and about 0.3 miles of underground storm drains, according to a county staff report.

The California Department of Fish and Game required the Orange County Flood Control Division to conduct an emergency clean-up of the area, and the county contracted the work out to Ocean Blue Environmental Services Inc.

The cleanup took a little more than a month and cost $1.5 million, said Chris Crompton, environmental resources manager for the Orange County Watersheds agency. He said the county will be reimbursed from the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will seek reimbursement from the culprit in the spill.

Carol Singleton, a spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Game, said in February that officials were nearly certain the oil came from the Angus Petroleum Corporation at 1901 California St., but were running tests first.

If Angus is found responsible, it may be charged with illegally discharging harmful materials into state water or failing to report the spill to authorities, Singleton said.

Immediately after the spill was discovered, crews set booms in the water to keep the oil from draining into the Talbert Marsh. Singleton said wildlife crews had collected 33 dead birds and one raccoon, although it was unclear if the oil had caused their deaths.