HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say the pipeline that leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the water off Southern California was split open and apparently dragged along the ocean floor.
Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said Tuesday that divers determined about 4,000 feet of the pipeline was "laterally displaced" by about 105 feet.
Ore told the Associated Press the pipeline had a 13-inch gash in it.
Officials said Monday that they were considering whether a ship's anchor might have caused the oil spill that has fouled beaches in Orange County.
The Coast Guard says it did not investigate initial reports of the spill for nearly 12 hours because it didn't have enough corroborating evidence.
In a news release, Amplify Energy Corp., the Houston-based company that owns the pipeline the oil is leaking from, notified the US Coast Guard on Saturday after an oil sheen was spotted in the water near Huntington Beach.
The company said they shut down all of their production and pipeline operations at the Beta Field as a precautionary measure.
CNN reported that all the beaches in Laguna Beach have been closed due to the oil spill.