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Photos: Experts assess oil spill damage at Orange County beaches

Oil spill cleanup crew members from New Jersey clean up the oil spill at Huntington State Beach on Oct. 10.
Oil spill cleanup crew members from New Jersey clean up the oil spill at Huntington State Beach on Oct. 10.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
By Allen J. Schaben
, Myung J. Chun, Wally Skalij and Irfan Khan
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A major oil spill off the Orange County coast has fouled beaches and wetlands.

A pipeline leak poured crude into the ocean, bringing cleanup crews and wildlife biologists and volunteers to Huntington Beach and elsewhere.

An aerial view of heavy machinery opening up the Santa Ana river sand berm to allow ocean water back in the Santa Ana River
An aerial view of heavy machinery opening up the Santa Ana river sand berm to allow ocean water back in the Santa Ana River on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on Oct. 10. Environmental cleanup crews continue to assess the damage from a major oil spill off the Orange County coast.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Contaminated water being held back by a boom in the Santa Ana river on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
A view of contaminated water being held back by a boom in the Santa Ana river on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
An oiled western gull, rescued Thursday from OC oiled beaches, is hydrated with a tube
An oiled western gull, rescued Thursday, gets some water from Jean Yim, left, and Gayle Uyehara of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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An oiled western grebe sits on a towel in its cage.
An oiled western grebe, rescued Thursday, rests in its cage at the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Workers in protective gear comb the beach for oil.
Workers comb the shoreline to remove any remnants of oil Thursday in Huntington Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Two workers stand under a pier.
Two members of a cleanup crew work to remove oil from the shore at Huntington Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
People line up on the pier, some holding up cellphones.
People watch the oil cleanup from the Huntington Beach Pier.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Three workers assess the oil spill damage in Talbert Marsh.
Environmental technicians Jack Hill, left, Ben Stewart and Travis Scott assess the damage to Talbert Marsh.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A cargo ship, an oil platform and a smaller boat on an overcast day.
A cargo ship off the coast of Huntington Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A U.S. Coast Guard flight over the Orange County coastline in search of oil on the water.
A U.S. Coast Guard flight over the Orange County coastline in search of oil on the water.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A team of biologists assesses tide pools
A team of biologists from the UC Santa Cruz and Tenera Consulting assesses the biodiversity of the Little Corona del Mar tide pools.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Aerial view of Laguna Beach
A view of Laguna Beach on Wednesday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A biologist studies habitat in Newport Beach
A biologist studies habitat in Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Crews clean up at Corona del Mar State Beach on Wednesday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Biologists study Little Corona del Mar tide pools.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A dead bottom-dwelling creature known as a guitarfish awaits biologists for inspection in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Workers in hard hats on a beach.
Workers clean up in Newport Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of people working on an oiled beach
An aerial view of oil spill cleanup workers on Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Workers in hats and protective suits are on their knees on a sandy shore
Cleanup crews collect remnants of oil from a massive spill off the coast in Huntington Beach on Oct. 5, 2021.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Chunks of oil are seen in a sieve with a handle
Chunks of oil gathered during the beach cleanup.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cleanup workers are seen in an aerial view of a stretch of soiled beach
Cleanup workers on Huntington Beach on Oct. 5, 2021.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Workers in white hats and suits, holding handled scoopers, reach into the water from a boat
Crews from Patriot Environmental Services clean oil from a massive spill off the coast in Huntington Beach on Oct. 5, 2021.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A man in a white hard hat and protective suit and blue gloves kneels while looking down on the sand
A worker during cleanup of a massive oil spill off the coast on Oct. 5, 2021, in Huntington Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Container ships and an oil derrick line the horizon as oil spill cleanup crews work along the beach.
Environmental cleanup crews search the beach, cleaning up oil chunks from a major oil spill in Huntington Beach on Oct. 5, 2021.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Two workers in a boat near a line of booms in the water
Crews perform cleanup work in Talbert creek on Oct. 5, 2021, in Huntington Beach.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A bird picks at a fish lying belly up on shore
Mealtime at the Santa Ana River jetty.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A lightning bolt in a blue sky.
A lightning bolt strikes the ocean near a lifeguard tower at Bolsa Chica State Beach as a storm passes through on Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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An oily bird is held in a pair of gloved hands
Dr. Duane Tom of Oiled Wildlife Care Network inspects an oiled sanderling at the Wildlife & Wetlands Center in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of dozens of shorebirds feeding amid the oil spill at Huntington State Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A park ranger patrols along a sandy beach
A park ranger patrols along the sand in Huntington Beach on Monday after the huge oil spill.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Workers in orange vests walk under dramatic dark clouds
Work crews finish for the day after cleaning oil from Bolsa Chica State Beach on Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
A seagull flies over Bolsa Chica State Beach on Monday.
A seagull flies over Bolsa Chica State Beach on Monday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Cleanup crews mop up oil on the sand at Huntington State Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Egrets feed at dawn in the oil-polluted waters of the ecologically sensitive Talbert Marsh
Egrets feed at dawn in the oil-polluted waters of the ecologically sensitive Talbert Marsh after an oil spill flowed into the wetlands.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Huntington Beach, CA
Pelicans search for breakfast in the oil-polluted Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Monday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Workers scrape up oily sand for removal.
Crews spread out as they begin cleaning up oil at Huntington State Beach on Monday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Huntington Beach, CA
Workers with Patriot Environmental Services place containment booms to trap oil that flowed from an offshore pipeline leak into the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Sunday.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A man holds up an oil globule at the mouth of the Santa Ana River
Mike Moran of Costa Mesa holds up an oil globule at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, where sand berms and oil booms were in place Monday morning to contain an oil spill off Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Oil lines the beach as a bird eats in the incoming tide.
A bird attempts to eat Sunday as oil-coated waves come ashore in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Workers with Patriot Environmental Services collect bags of oil-soaked pads and other debris during cleanup at Talbert Marsh.
Workers with Patriot Environmental Services collect bags of oil-soaked pads and other debris during cleanup at Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Sunday.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Oil absorbent booms are used by workers with Patriot Environmental Services to clean from the oil spill.
Oil absorbent booms are used by workers with Patriot Environmental Services to clean up oil that flowed into the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Sunday.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A fish swims amid globs of oil off the Orange County coast
A fish swims amid floating globs of oil off the Orange County coast.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of a major oil spill washing ashore on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
An oil slick lines the beach as a swimmer comes in
A swimmer called in by a lifeguard emerges from oily water onto the fouled beach at the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Lifeguard vehicles face the water at Huntington Beach while oil-containing booms are put in place by boats offshore.
Lifeguard vehicles face the water at Huntington Beach where oil-containment booms are put in place by boats offshore.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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An oil slick lines the beach as a swimmer comes in after being called in by a Newport Beach lifeguard.
A swimmer bobs in the oily water before being called in by a lifeguard at the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A sign warns visitors to stay out of the water because of the oil spill at the Huntington Beach Pier.
A sign warns visitors to stay out of the water because of the oil spill at the Huntington Beach Pier on Sunday.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Detail of globs of oil that formed patterns as it flowed in from the high tide.
Globs of oil carried in by the high tide formed patterns on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Oil lines the beach as a bird runs to avoid the incoming tide.
Oil lines the beach as a bird runs to avoid the incoming tide on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on Sunday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Allen J. Schaben

Los Angeles Times staff photographer Allen J. Schaben is an award-winning journalist capturing a wide range of images over the past 34 years. Before joining The Times, he honed his craft at the Detroit Free Press, Dallas Morning News, Wichita Eagle and Connecticut Post. Schaben earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1993.

Myung J. Chun

Myung J. Chun has been a photographer with the Los Angeles Times since 1999. He started as a still photographer and then moved to videography from 2007 to 2018. Chun won an Emmy in 2011 for his work on a multimedia project about innocent victims of gang violence. He previously worked for the Los Angeles Daily News, a position he started in 1988 while attending Cal State Northridge.

Wally Skalij

Wally Skalij joined the Los Angeles Times as a staff photographer in 1997.

Irfan Khan

Irfan Khan was a staff photographer with the Los Angeles Times from 1996 to 2024. He previously served as a freelance photographer for the publication beginning in 1989. Khan started his career as a commercial photographer in 1973 in Pakistan and moved to Dubai in 1977, where he worked for an advertising agency and at a leading English newspaper. Khan’s assignments have taken across Southern California and the U.S. Internationally, he has photographed the Hajj in Saudi Arabia and war zones of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for coverage of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to semi-classical music of the Indian subcontinent and playing cricket on Sundays.

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