After the Newport beach police acknowledged getting multiple reports of the smell of gas in the city. The Coast Guard sent a crew to respond to a report of an oil slick off of Newport Beach, causing some Orange County beaches to be shut down. Finally, after over a week of being closed, Orange County beaches are now being reopened to the public with the exception of fishing and harvesting seafood. 

On Saturday, October 2nd, the city of Huntington Beach was filled with a gas-like smell and there were multiple reports of oil sheens being spotted off the coast of Huntington and Newport Beach. After divers from Amplify Energy, the company that owns the pipeline that runs from the Port of Long Beach to an offshore oil platform; investigated and reported a 13-inch breach in the pipeline, causing about 3,000 barrels worth of crude oil to spill into the ocean and create oil sheens in the water. On Saturday night Huntington officially closed the beach from the Santa Ana River to the Jetty Pier. Early Sunday morning, officials warned everyone to stay away from the oiled part of the beach because of toxicity. In addition, the last day of the Pacific Air Show was canceled. They sent out equipment to try and keep the oil from washing up on shore more than it had already and to keep it away from marine reserves. On Sunday night an incident management team from federal and regional agencies was sent out to deploy a professional cleaning. As Sunday went on, oil started to creep up on the shore of Newport Beach. People were warned to stay away from the beach and the ocean but they did not officially close Newport Beach until Sunday evening. As well as Newport Beach closing, Laguna Beach shut down their beaches as well due to oiled animals and tar balls that had started washing up on the shore. The breach in the pipeline is suspected to be have caused by the anchor of a ship.

The crude oil that was leaked into the ocean can be very harmful to humans. Officials have asked that if you have come into contact with a contaminated object or tarball to seek medical attention to make sure that everything is okay. The oil spill has caused dead birds and other animals to wash up on the shore of the Orange County beaches. The oil spill also hit the entirety of the Talbert Marsh destroying it. Many birds have died due to the oil spill while other birds who have been oiled are being treated. Cleanup of the Talbert Wetlands is currently underway, volunteers are using booms to keep more oil from entering the wetlands, and are using aerators to supply oxygen into the wetlands to compensate for the lack of ocean water flowing in. Many people have been classifying this as an environmental disaster since over 80 fish and birds have been recovered and over half of them are dying, all while dead animals are still washing up along the shores of Orange County beaches. No one will be able to tell the full extent of the environmental impact for a few weeks, officials say.

While most of the Orange County beaches are now reopened, people are advised to stay away from recreational activities, and fishing is still prohibited. The water is no longer toxic but will continue to get tested for the next few weeks.