Tar blobs come up on some Southern Santa Barbara County beaches from unknown source
John Palminteri
MONTECITO, Calif. – The usually clean Montecito beaches were tainted by mysterious tar blobs over the weekend and into Monday morning.
At least one environmental source believes it is from a natural seep that is getting directed through currents and the higher tides to the Montecito coast.
“Sometimes it is a combination of the tides, so when you get these peak tides, big high tide, big low tide it is like a pushing action, it causes pressure on the geology and you have natural seeps and they seal up like asphalt from the oil., “said Heal the Ocean Field Consultant Harry Rabin, “It gets hard and you get these pressure events and it blows that seal and the oil can come flying out, it is like, have you ever had a glue bottle where it is soft and hard on top and you puncture it and out comes the glue, it is very similar what is gong on here.”
Many of the seeps exist off of Isla Vista and Summerland.
People have been noticing tar on Butterfly Beach in Montecito, Carpinteria Beach and Arroyo Burro in Santa Barbara County.
It has been sticking to shoes and bare feet.
Johny Faulkner likes to walk his dog Emma at Arroyo Burro, nicknamed Hendry’s Beach.
“It comes and goes there will be days where you don’t see one bit of oil and there will be days where I don’t even get her out of the car, there is so much oil, I bought her boots which she hates,” said Faulkner.
Some wonder if oil platforms off shore have anything to do with it.
Lifeguards get tar on their feet, too.
“Sometimes I use olive oil and a paper towel and I will pour the olive oil directly on the tar or I’ll pour it on the paper towel and rub my feet.,” said Santa Barbara County Lifeguard Ryan Curtis,” They also do make oils in stores that are specifically made to rub tar off, but any sort of oil can be used to rub the tar off.”
Faulkner uses coconut oil on Emma’s paws said the tar reminds him of the Chumash.
“It is just seeps from the ocean, the Chumash used to use it to seal their canoes,” said Faulkner.
Hendry’s is known for its self service dog wash.
Dogs named Aspen and Obley got a good cleaning at the wash on Monday.
Heal the Ocean is taking the lead in the clean up effort and looking into the recent cause.
More details are expected to come from the nonprofits investigation.