Refugio Shoreline Oiling Categories

On May 19, 2015, a pipeline owned ruptured in Santa Barbara County, California, near Refugio State Beach. An estimated 21,000 gallons of the oil flowed overland from the break site into the Pacific Ocean and spread across the marine environment. NOAA and our state and federal partners are investigating these impacts and will determine the amount of restoration needed to return the environment to the condition it was in before the spill and to compensate the public for environmental degradation from the time of the spill until recovery.

This layer depicts the maximum categorical shoreline oiling observed throughout the impact area of the Refugio Beach Oil Spill. Survey teams conducted daily oiling surveys and observations. This layer represents a compilation of the maximum oil observed at any point in time during the spill for a specific segment of shoreline. The surveys are conducted using the Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT).