Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR

UPDATE: CDFW-OSPR remains part of a Unified Command responding to a crude oil discharge in Los Angeles County. On the morning of May 22, 2026, an underground crude oil pipeline was struck by a telecommunications contractor near the intersection of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and North Eastern Avenue.

The pipeline was restarted on June 3 under the oversight of the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Following the pipeline refill, Pacific Pipeline System estimates that the third-party line strike resulted in a discharge of approximately 24,654 gallons of crude oil. Previous reports of 2,400 gallons discharged were based on an initial report to the California Office of Emergency Services by first responders based on visual observations. Investigation into the actual volume discharged and cause of the line strike is ongoing.

Cleanup crews continue to make progress. At this time, 65% of the impacted storm drains have been cleaned and the area within the Los Angeles River from Rosecrans Avenue to Willow Street met cleanup endpoints.

A formal Wildlife Branch has been established with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) activated to recover and care for oiled wildlife. Recovered wildlife is taken to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center for care. Recovered wildlife numbers are updated on the Oiled Wildlife Care Network spill page.

OSPR oil spill prevention specialists play an essential role in preventing spills and ensuring safe maritime practices at California ports and marinas.
They serve on OSPR field response teams and when not responding to spills they often board international vessels and monitor fuel bunkering. Today, two specialists boarded a car carrier and an oil tanker ship in Martinez to ensure the ships had financial responsibility documents in hand, as well as the proper spill cleanup equipment onboard. OSPR is regularly recruiting oil spill prevention specialists. Learn more at jobs.ca.gov.

OSPR crew conducted a pollution prevention patrol Friday and Saturday in Shasta County. Wildlife officers and an oil spill prevention specialist patrolled marinas at Shasta Lake, monitoring fueling activities and ensuring spill kits were fully intact.
Patrols like this help educate the public on best practices to prevent petroleum spills as we head into the summer months.

UPDATE on Los Angeles Incident: A Unified Command continues to respond to a crude oil discharge in Los Angeles County. Oil remains contained to the storm drains and Los Angeles River, with no crude oil observed south of the Pacific Coast Highway bridge. Containment boom is in place at Ocean Boulevard out of an abundance of caution to ensure crude oil does not enter the Long Beach Harbor.
Phased cleaning of impacted underground storm drains is underway in coordination with Los Angeles County Public Works. As of 7:00 a.m. May 29, approximately 3,500 ft of storm drain has been cleaned. An interactive map showing the progression of storm drain cleaning activities is available here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=ac897441c2d74188a6dd100bc79921cb
Containment boom is in place in the Los Angeles River at multiple locations to maintain containment of crude oil in the waterway. Oil recovery from the waterway is underway at multiple locations utilizing skimmers and vacuum trucks. Crews are also working to remove impacted vegetation, with efforts in place to maximize potential regrowth.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) remains activated to recover and care for oiled wildlife. Daily updates on wildlife recovered during the response are available at OWCN.org. For your safety and the safety of the animals, do not attempt to capture oiled animals. Report oiled wildlife to 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926). This is not an informational or volunteer hotline.

OSPR crew oversaw an equipment deployment exercise in the San Francisco Bay this week. The goal of these exercises are to ensure industry partners are prepared to respond to spills in a timely and efficient manner. The OSPR crew on-scene included Law Enforcement Personnel and prevention specialists. OSPR is committed to effective spill preparedness and prevention to ensure resources can be protected in the event of a real incident.

UPDATE on Los Angeles Incident: Road closures have been lifted in the area where an underground crude oil pipeline was struck by a telecommunications contractor, after a Unified Command affirmed that the immediate public safety concerns in the area are resolved.

The Unified Command managing the response includes representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Pacific Pipeline System LLC (PPS), which operates the impacted pipeline.

The discharge occurred in the early hours of May 22 near the intersection of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and North Eastern Avenue. Crude oil entered nearby storm drains and impacted approximately 17 miles of the Los Angeles River. As of 9:00 a.m. PDT on May 28, sheening and product was contained north of the Pacific Coast Highway bridge.

Clean-up of discharged oil in the river channel is ongoing. Containment boom remains deployed within the river at multiple locations to prevent further migration downstream. The safety of the public and responders and minimizing impacts to the environment are the top priorities of the Unified Command.

Prior to reopening the road: soil conditions under the roadway near the incident were assessed; the affected roadway and sidewalk surfaces were cleaned; and the area was confirmed safe to reopen to all traffic. Longer-term soil remediation work in the area where the pipeline rupture occurred will be planned for a later date under the oversight of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The work will be scheduled with consideration for community impacts and minimizing disruption to nearby residents and businesses.

Cleaning of oil in the affected storm drains within the immediate area of the intersection is complete. An interactive map showing the progression of remaining storm drain cleaning activities is available in the comments of this post.

The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) has been activated as part of the Wildlife Branch to recover and care for oiled wildlife. For your safety and the safety of the animals, do not attempt to capture oiled animals. Report oiled wildlife to 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926). This is not an informational or volunteer hotline.

Information on wildlife operations as of May 27 at 3 p.m. PDT is available below. These numbers include all confirmed animals collected through response efforts and may include some injured or deceased animals not related to the incident:

• 100 birds collected live
• 8 birds collected dead

Daily updates on wildlife recovered during the response are available at OWCN.org.

An investigation into what led to the third-party line strike and the volume discharged is ongoing. The section of pipeline impacted by the third-party line strike has been replaced. The pipeline has not restarted.

Los Angeles County Fire Health Hazmat and South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) conducted initial air monitoring and determined there was not a threat to public health. Air monitoring is ongoing out of an abundance of caution. For air quality concerns please contact the South Coast AQMD at 800-288-7664.

Public volunteers are not needed at this time, but an information line has been established that will provide updates. The number to call is 1-800-228-4544.

The claims phone number for this incident is 1-877-817-5465. Potential claims may include documented property, business or other incident-related damages and expenses.

UPDATE: Spill cleanup operations continue, and our wildlife recovery and rehabilitation activities will continue in parallel until wildlife in care have been released.

Updated numbers of impacted wildlife will be posted daily and are available at owcn.org

📸: Ariana Gastelum/International Bird Rescue

UPDATE: CDFW‑OSPR remains part of the Unified Command responding to a crude oil release in Los Angeles County after a telecommunications contractor struck an underground pipeline near East Cesar E. Chavez Ave. and North Eastern Ave.

Crews continue to make progress, strengthening containment measures as cleanup and crude oil recovery efforts proceed. Work on the impacted pipeline will continue overnight.

A formal Wildlife Branch has been established with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) activated to recover and care for oiled wildlife. 25 birds are in care at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center.

For your safety and the safety of the animals, do not attempt to capture oiled animals. Report oiled wildlife to 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926). This is not an informational or volunteer hotline.

The OWCN has been activated by Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR for a release of crude oil that entered storm drains and subsequently flowed into the Los Angeles River. Oiled birds have been collected from the area by trained OWCN responders from UC Davis, Aquarium of the Pacific, and International Bird Rescue. The birds have been transported to the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care & Education Center where additional OWCN responders are providing initial care prior to cleaning.

If you see oiled wildlife, please do NOT approach or attempt to capture, but call our hotline at 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926) so that trained and experienced personnel can respond.