The Curtin Barge, which was under contract to the State Lands Commission (SLC) to cap the leaking Summerland oil wells, on Nov. 27 was towed from its protective mooring nearer the Santa Barbara Harbor, back down the coast to Summerland, where it anchored to begin the process of capping the second, and final well, NorthStar.
The Curtin Barge arrived from Long Beach and anchored off the Summerland coast during the week of Nov. 9. Its first job was to provide a working platform for oilfield divers to cap the Treadwell 10 well, which had been leaking oil for years.
Funding for the $3 million operation came from SB 44, authored by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, to provide $2 million per year for the cleanup of hazards and abandoned wells along the California Coast. The State Lands Commission straddled two budget years to get the extra funds needed for the project.
The offshore oil workers got Treadwell capped just in time as right before Thanksgiving, ocean swells forced the Curtin Barge to seek calmer waters up the coast near East Beach, to wait it out.
By Saturday, Nov. 28, the barge moved to Summerland again and was in place to start the capping of NorthStar, a terrible leaker that has been fouling Summerland beach daily, for years.
Heal the Ocean advisor Harry Rabin of On the Wave Productions had been working with the SLC contractors InterAct engineering company in planning and locating wellheads, and as divers began plugging NorthStar. He flew a drone over the work area to identify any problem of oil escaping during the construction process.
Rabin’s aerial photographs of the NorthStar area showed a visibly clear ocean, cleaned up just from contractors surrounding the leaking well with a pipe driven into the seafloor. The cementing of the well would happen the next day.
Even before the bulk of the work on NorthStar was finished on Nov. 28, Heal the Ocean came across communications of gratitude, including the following, from Summerland residents.
“We have our beach back and can walk without shoes!”
“Yes, yes, yes, it’s a miracle come true. I walked about four miles with neighbors today and all were in awe.”
“We have been enjoying the beach these last few beautiful days, free of the smell of oil and free from any sign of oil on the beach. What a delight. I hope some of you have noticed this too? Special thanks to all who made this happen.”
Yes, thanks to all who made this happen.
Of all the many people who had a hand in this success, Heal the Ocean would like to especially thank (in chronological order):
Steve Curran, SLC petroleum engineer (ret.)
Seth Blackmun, SLC chief counsel
Walter Scott, SLC project manager
Sheri Pemberton, SLC chief, external affairs
Jane Gray, Dudek Santa Barbara
Former Gov. Pete Wilson
State Sen. Jackson, author of SB 44
Sidney Ng, aide to Jackson
Aqueos Corporation
Planck Aerosystems/Gaemus Collins
InterAct, PMTI, Ventura
Mike Giuliani engineer
Eric Kroh, engineer
Michelle Pasini, principal consultant
Heal the Ocean Advisory Board:
Nora McNeely Hurley/Manitou Fund
Harry Rabin, On the Wave Productions
Curtin Maritime
Danny Castagnola, Captain Danny C
The HTO Board of Directors