The County of Orange, in coordination with Unified Command, announces the reopening of the sand at County-operated beaches in the City of Laguna Beach at 9 a.m. today, October 8. These include Aliso Beach, Laguna Royale Beach, Table Rock Beach, Thousand Steps Beach and West Street Beach. The reopening is for the sand only, not the shoreline or the water.
The parking lot at Aliso Beach remains closed for staging for the cleanup efforts.
County-operated Salt Creek Beach, Strands Beach and Baby Beach located within Dana Point Harbor reopened October 7. Capistrano Beach and Poche Beach remain closed due to construction.
The Orange County coast has experienced a recent oil spill and an ongoing shoreline cleanup is in progress. The public can expect to see Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams and work crews equipped in protective gear, monitoring, inspecting, and cleaning the beaches to ensure that appropriate cleanup actions are taken. For your safety, the public is advised to avoid any contact with visible oil on the beaches.
Dana Point Harbor and Newport Beach Harbor remain closed at this time for boats entering and exiting the harbor. Impacted boaters are requested to go to Huntington Beach Harbour or Long Beach Harbor.
The US Coast Guard is the lead agency coordinating the response to the oil spill incident. A unified command has been established and consists of Amplify Energy, the US Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the County of Orange. More information about the unified command response may be found at www.SoCalspillresponse.com.
Members of the public are asked to avoid assisting with cleanup in the oiled areas. Trained spill response contractors are working to clean up the oil. Public volunteers are not requested at this time, but information can be found at https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer. If anyone encounters oiled wildlife, please avoid contact and call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1-877-823-6926.
