The beach closure announced Wednesday afternoon has been extended from the El Segundo jetty to the border between Redondo Beach and Torrance.
The LA County Health Department closed the beach when clumps of a tar-like substance started washing up on the shore around 1 p.m.
The Coast Guard wants to extend the closure for at least three more days, and cleanup crews would be onsite for at least that period of time, according to LA County Lifeguard Captain Kenichi Haskett.
The substance’s identity and source has not yet been identified. Chevron, which has a nearby oil refinery, is helping to determine if the oil might be coming from their offshore pipeline and has stopped offloading oil until further notice, according to Haskett. A call to a Chevron spokesperson wasn’t returned.
Haskett said in his 20 years as a lifeguard, he had seen oil wash up on the shore, but not like this.
“Usually it’s more spread out,” he said, over a greater distance along the shoreline.
A Coast Guard helicopter didn’t see any of the material floating in the water Wednesday afternoon.
“During the over flight, the helicopter crew saw no product or sheening on the water or around nearby vessels,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.
