"U.S. Coast Guard Investigates Oil Slick Off California Coast"

"The U.S. Coast Guard was investigating a large, patchy oil sheen that appeared off the Southern California coast west of Santa Barbara on Wednesday, not far from the site of a petroleum pipeline spill in May, officials said.

The slick, spanning approximately 3 square miles (8 square km) of the Pacific about 1,000 yards (meters) from shore, was spotted off Goleta State Beach, but the origin of the sheen was unknown, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen.

The Coast Guard, which dispatched a marine safety crew to the scene by vessel and a surveillance team by helicopter, described the slick as a "thin layer of rainbow sheening" that was considered "non-recoverable" and was expected to dissipate from the water on its own."

Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan Whitcomb report for Reuters July 30, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Scientist: Oil Slick Likely From Natural Seafloor Seepage" (AP)