WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A mysterious oil slick was discovered by two kayakers off the coast of Goleta Beach near Santa Barbara, California on Wednesday, local media reported.
"We're not calling this an oil spill because we don't know where the source is," Santa Barbara County Fire Official David Zaniboni was quoted as saying by ABC News on Wednesday.
The kayakers had reported the matter to the local fire department.
The US Coast Guard is responding to the area to investigate the oil slick.
"The Coast Guard sent out a marine safety detachment team from Santa Barbara to investigate,” Coast Guard spokesperson Sondra-Kay Kneen told KPCCK on Wednesday. "We're just investigating to see where the sheen came from, what it is, if it's in any relation to any prior incident or if it's just natural seepage."
The oil slick, around 60-feet wide and 1,000 yards offshore from Goleta Beach, is about a dozen miles from Refugio State Beach, which witnessed a spillage of crude oil from a broken pipeline on May 19, 2015.
The authorities have said that Goleta Beach remains open to the public.
