Southern California beaches to reopen after no toxins found from oil spill

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Major beaches in a Southern California city that have been closed since an oil pipeline spill occurred earlier this month are scheduled to reopen on Monday after tests showed that it's safe to do so, officials said.

City and state officials said late Sunday that beaches in Huntington Beach can reopen after water quality tests showed no toxins related to the spill.

"We understand the significance our beaches have on tourism, our economy, and our overall livelihood here in Huntington Beach," Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said in the statement.

"It is important that our decision to reopen our shoreline and water be based on data and that we continue to monitor the water quality going forward."

Water quality testing will be done twice a week for the next two weeks, the officials said.

Nearly 150,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters off Southern California and prompted officials to close the beaches. Investigators say a 13-inch gash in the pipeline may have been caused by a cargo ship's anchor.

While the beaches will reopen Monday, officials are still cautioning people to avoid areas where they can smell oil and not to handle oily materials that wash ashore.

Huntington Beach said it hired a contractor to test the quality of the water in the area. Of the 40 sites tested, all but one showed a non-detectable amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and total petroleum hydrocarbons, which indicate the presence of oil.

The only location that tested positive, however, showed nontoxic levels.