Over 4,000 gallons of oil and toxic wastewater spilled in Monterey County’s San Ardo oil field, according to a hazardous materials spill report by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
The spill occurred near Sargent Creek, just over a mile from where the creek feeds the Salinas River, which provides drinking and irrigation water for the Salinas Valley and the Central Coast of California. The flow to the pipe has been shut, and the release has been stopped. No reported injuries or evacuations are reported.
Cleanup is currently underway, but the full extent of the damage remains unknown. The San Ardo oil field is operated by Chevron and Aera Energy LLC, which merged into California Resources Corporation in 2024.
"Our environmental health bureau is monitoring the situation," says Nicholas Pasculli, Monterey County communications director.
The release of the mixed fluids are coming from an 8-inch pipeline, according to the reporting party. It is unknown if the pipe is above or below ground, and the cause of the spill has not yet been determined. The spill has impacted the surrounding soil and has been contained, with no waterways or storm drains reportedly affected.
“In the past few weeks, we’ve seen numerous examples of how oil production threatens California’s communities and water supplies,” said Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute. “As long as we allow these dangerous operations to continue, we can expect to see more spills like this.”
The Center for Biological Diversity represented the group Protect Monterey County that championed a voter-initiative, Measure Z, to ban fracking the the establishment of new oil wells in Monterey County. The measure was ultimately overturned in court.