Workers in protective suits continue to clean the contaminated beach with a platform in the background in Huntington Beach Oct. 11. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
HUNTINGTON BEACH (AP) – Five weeks after a ruptured underwater pipeline spilled crude oil in the waters off Southern California, cleanup crews have cleared about a third of the shoreline and the amount of oily waste collected is tapering, an official said Friday, Nov. 5.Fisheries remain closed and aren’t likely to reopen before the final week of the month, Lt. Christian Corbo of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife said.Crews have removed upward of 500,000 pounds (227,000 kilograms) of tar balls, as well as oil-tainted sand, seaweed and driftwood. The amount of oily debris collected each day has tapered off, and more than a third of the shoreline is nearing final cleanup approval.The spill confirmed Oct. 2 from a pipeline owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy leaked up
