Oil spills in Santa Barbara

Professionals cleanup crews are at the beach. Volunteers are being asked to stay away from the harmful oil until the scene is safe to help. Photo: Jason Groman

As crews continue to clean up from Wednesday’s oil spill just north of Santa Barbara, an investigation is underway to find out why the leak occurred. Tyler Hayden of the Santa Barbara Independent has been covering the story, and gives us a debrief:

Update: According to officials at the responsible oil company, Plains All American Pipeline, as much as 105,000 gallons of crude oil may have been released from the ruptured underground pipeline. This is based on the line’s elevation and flow rate, which averages about 50,400 gallons an hour.