Mojave, there was an oil spill last Tuesday near Fillmore. Oil seeped into Tar Creek, but it probably didn't make it to the ocean. There has always been periodic "natural" oil seepage in the Santa Barbara Channel, particularly around Coal Oil Poinr near the UCSB campus. Currents can carry this oil down the coast to Ventura and Oxnard. Shiny oil and tar blobs end up on the beach. Besides natural seepage, additional oil seepage occurs at the base of the drilling mechanisms extending from the oil platforms into the ocean floor.It is very difficult to prove the source of the oil that you saw. The oil companies will never admit fault. I directly experienced the January 1969 oil spill from Union Oil Platform "A". This massive oil spill caused extensive damage to marine life and really ruined the beaches for a long time thereafter. Right after the spill, I worked as a volunteer with the local zoo rescuing hundreds of seabirds that had swallowed oil and had a hard time breathing. They were just stumbling around on the oil coated beaches. We gave them small amounts of butter to emulsify the oil in their throats and we collected the ones that were severely hurt and transported them to the zoo for rehabilitation. Ultimately, several lawsuits occurred and Union Oil paid for the beach cleanup and some property damages and lost tourist revenue to the Miramar and Biltmore hotels. In retropect, the 1969 oil spill was a huge trigger that got the environmental movement going .
