California State Lands Commission (CSLC) contractor Cushman Contracting Corporation will begin work on Monday, Nov. 16 to remove remnant oil and gas operation pipelines that are protruding outward from the coastal bluffs at Haskell’s Beach.
The work, which is expected to take about two days, is part of ongoing efforts by CSLC and the city of Goleta to remove all remnant oil and gas operation hazards from the Ellwood coastline.
The hazards are a result of early oil and gas exploration at Ellwood that began in the 1920s. When the operations ceased mid-century, the infrastructure created to support them were not properly abandoned. As a result, the Ellwood coastline is littered with remnant oil and gas operations hazards.
Hazards include protruding wellheads and well casings, wood and steel piles, pipelines, and wood beams and structures. The hazards often become visible after large storm events that cause coastal erosion. Since 2011, CSLC has conducted hazards removal work on seven occasions at Ellwood.
As part of the removal work, staging of equipment will occur at the emergency access point just east of the beach house at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. There will be monitors onsite to document the progress of beach hazards removal for the duration of the work.
For more information, click here to visit the project webpage.