The operator of an oil facility off the South Coast has been ordered by a state agency to take action to prevent potential spills, after inspectors say they found a number of violations.
Inspectors with the State Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources say they’ve found numerous violations with wells, pipes, and other equipment at an oil facility off the Ventura County coastline.
Rincon Island Limited Partnership has been ordered by the state to take steps to make repairs, or to replace more than 70 wells, pipelines, or other facilities. The orders cover some of the infrastructure on Rincon Island. It’s the man-made island you see off of Highway 101 between Carpinteria and Ventura.
Inspectors say they found numerous violations related to the condition of the equipment, including corrosion on valves and pipes. They say the issues have left the equipment in an unsafe state of disrepair and dysfunction.
The orders also cover a well under the ocean’s surface about 3,000 feet from the island. Officials say it’s believed the well head was damaged more than two decades ago by fishing operations, but that it hasn’t been inspected recently.
