Oil found in Central Coast creek traced to well built in 1882

Oil that was discovered New Year’s Day in Toro Creek in the Carpinteria-Summerland area was the result of natural seepage, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department.

At about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, emergency personnel responded to a report of oil in Toro Creek along the 1000 block of Toro Canyon Road.

First responders from the South Coast Hazmat Response Team were sent to the scene, and initiated protective actions, including damming the oil, and using absorbent pads and booms to minimize the impact to the creek and local environment, said Lael Wageneck, a Public Works Department spokesman.

“The oil is from a natural seepage well built by the Occidental Oil Company in 1882,” Wageneck said in a news release. “The Environmental Protection Agency retrofitted the site to prevent seepage in the 1990s by building an oil and water separator facility at the well. The county has monitored that facility since 2009.”

The amount of oil released, possible impacts, and the exact cause have not been released, and the incident remained under investigation.

The Toro Incident Unified Command — including representatives from the county, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response — has contracted Pacific Petroleum California for cleanup to reduce the impacts to the community, environment and wildlife, Wageneck said.

“While there are currently no reports of affected wildlife, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Oiled Wildlife Care Network has been activated,” Wageneck said.

This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Oil found in Central Coast creek traced to well built in 1882."