CLEANUP crews working the sand in Huntington Beach after the oil spill from a ruptured pipeline in October 2021. (Orange County Tribune photo by Zia Zografos).

About 85 gallons of oil from a sheen first spotted off the Huntington Beach coastline on Thursday evening has been cleaned-up, but some after-affects remain.

Another 800 pounds of “oily waste” – including tar balls – have been taken from the sand, according to authorities. Two birds affected by the oil have died.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that their helicopters flying over the site Saturday and Sunday didn’t spot any evidence of a sheen. The beach hasn’t been closed to the public, although visitors are cautioned not to touch any tar balls or other petroleum waste.

The cause or source of the spill has not yet been determined, and an investigation is underway.

Huntington Beach was the site of an oil spill in October 2021. An oil company pleaded guilty in September 2022 to negligently discharging crude oil, and the pipeline operator agreed to pay $50 million in damages.

The spill closed shorelines from Seal Beach to Laguna Beach and led to the cancellation of the Pacific Air Show that year.

A second, smaller spill was reported in November 2021.