Office of Spill Prevention & Response About OSPR Cal Spill WatchCal Spill WatchCal Spill Watch(opens in new tab) Contingency & Response Plans Drills & Exercises / ICS Enforcement Financial Responsibility Harbor Safety Laws & Regulations News & Publications Grants & Outreach Oil Spill Response Organizations Response Resources Restoration (NRDA) Science & Wildlife Spill Management Teams Volunteer Opportunities Summary LOCATION: Refugio and El Capitan State Beaches, Santa Barbara Channel, and portions of the southern California coastline south to the Los Angeles area. DATE: May 19, 2015 INCIDENT SUMMARY: An underground pipeline running parallel to Highway 101 ruptured near Refugio State Beach, spilling over 123,000 gallons of crude oil, much of which ran down a ravine under the freeway and entered the ocean. RESPONSIBLE PARTY: Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., and Plains Pipeline, L.P. (jointly, Plains) NATURAL RESOURCE TRUSTEES: California Department of Fish and Wildlife; California Department of Parks and Recreation; California State Lands Commission; University of California; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and the Department of Interior through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. RESOURCES IMPACTED: Birds, marine mammals, fish, coastal and subtidal habitats, and human uses. SETTLEMENT DETAILS: The trustees settled the NRDA portion of the case for $22 million. This includes $2.2 million for bird restoration, $2.3 million for marine mammal restoration, $5.5 million for shoreline habitat restoration, $6.1 for subtidal and fish habitat restoration, $3.9 million for human use and recreational improvements, and $2 million for administration and oversight. Available Documents Refugio Beach Oil Spill Settlement – South Coast Shoreline Parks and Outdoor Recreation Grants Program Summary of Public Input on Projects Submitted through Refugio Recreation Grants Program, November 2023 (PDF) Six full proposals are being considered for funding; public comments are welcome until October 27, 2023 (PDF) (opens in new tab) Refugio Beach Oil Spill Settlement: South Coast Shoreline Parks and Outdoor Recreation Grants Program: Request for Proposals – Coal Oil Point Nature Reserve, LA County, Ventura County, 2023 CLOSED(opens in new tab) Summary of Public Input on Projects Submitted through Recreation Grants Program, August 2022 (PDF)(opens in new tab) Seven full proposals are being considered for funding; public comments are welcome until July 25, 2022 (PDF)(opens in new tab) Refugio Beach Oil Spill Settlement: South Coast Shoreline Parks and Outdoor Recreation Grants Program: Request for Proposals CLOSED, 2021(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab) Refugio Beach Oil Spill Settlement – Restoration Plan Final Refugio Beach Oil Spill Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix A Oil Fate and Transport (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix B Data Management and Access (PDF) (opens in new tab) Appendix C Resource Equivalency Analysis (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix D Shoreline Exposure and Injury Evaluation Studies (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix E Supplemental Bioassay Report Information (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix F Shoreline Habitat Equivalency Analysis (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-1 Fish and Invertebrate Mortality Observations (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-2 Field and Laboratory Assessment of Injury to Grunion (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-3 Assessment of Surfperch Exposure (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-4 Oil Exposure and Potential Effects to Fish, Invertebrate Early Life Stages, and Kelp (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-5 Changes in the Condition of Surfgrass and Macroalgae (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-6 Field Assessment of Subtidal Exposure (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix G-7 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Nearshore Fish and Invertebrate Tissues (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix H Subtidal Injury Quantification and Habitat Equivalency Analysis (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix I Bird Injury Assessment (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix J Marine Mammal Exposure, Injury, and Restoration (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix K Recreational Camping Damages (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix L Recreational Shoreline Use Damages (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix M Recreational Boating and Offshore Use Damages (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix N Summary of Proposed Restoration Projects (PDF)(opens in new tab) Appendix O Response to Public Comments on the Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (DARP/EA) (PDF)(opens in new tab) Draft Refugio Beach Oil Spill Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (PDF)(opens in new tab) Newsletters Refugio Beach Oil Spill Trustee Council Update, May 2023 (PDF)(opens in new tab) NRDA Newsletter, May 2018 (PDF)(opens in new tab) NRDA Newsletter, May 2018 (PDF)(opens in new tab) NRDA Newsletter, July 2015 (PDF)(opens in new tab) NRDA Newsletter, November 2015 (PDF)(opens in new tab) Public Meetings Virtual Public Meeting, May 13, 2020 Evening Virtual Public Meeting (Video)(opens in new tab) Introduction (PDF)(opens in new tab) (M. Anderson, CDFW-OSPR) Birds (PDF)(opens in new tab) (J. Marek, USFWS) Marine Mammals (PDF)(opens in new tab) (L. Sullivan, NOAA) Subtidal and Fish (PDF)(opens in new tab) (D. Witting, NOAA) Shoreline (PDF)(opens in new tab) (B. Joab, CDFW-OSPR) Human Use (PDF)(opens in new tab) (M. Zafonte, CDFW-OSPR) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) during the public meeting (PDF)(opens in new tab) In Person Public Meeting (Santa Barbara Public Library) on January 20, 2016 NRDA Process Introductory Presentation (PDF)(opens in new tab) Posters: Mammals (PDF)(opens in new tab) Fish (PDF)(opens in new tab) Sandy Beach Habitat (PDF)(opens in new tab) Rocky Intertidal Habitat (PDF)(opens in new tab) Subtidal Habitat (PDF)(opens in new tab) Recreational Use (PDF)(opens in new tab) State Documents Notice of Adoption of Federal Document (PDF)(opens in new tab) Notice of Completion and Environmental Document Transmittal (PDF)(opens in new tab) Notice of Completion and Environmental Document Transmittal attachment (PDF)(opens in new tab) Federal Documents and Administrative Record NOAA Administrative Record documents search page(opens in new tab) NOAA Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) (PDF)(opens in new tab) DOI (USFWS) concurrence with NOAA’s FONSI determination (PDF)(opens in new tab) Refugio Beach Oil Spill Notice of Intent (PDF)(opens in new tab) Consent Decree (PDF)(opens in new tab) External References NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program(opens in new tab) Contact Michael Anderson Email: Michael.Anderson@wildlife.ca.gov Phone: (916) 375-6672