Crews have completed cleanup at the site of a tanker truck crash in Santa Barbara County which spilled 4500 gallons of crude oil. The accident happened March 21st, on Highway 166 northeast of Santa Maria. The driver of the truck apparently lost control and crashed, with the overturned tanker ending up in the Cuyama River bed.
The driver was unhurt, but there was a large oil spill. First responders built containment berms and deployed oil absorbing materials to keep the oil from spreading downstream. That effort was successful, and for the last few weeks crews have focused on removing the oil, and contaminated soil.
Cleanup was completed over the weekend, and crews are now doing final on-site equipment decontamination. Some birds and turtles were taken to wildlife care facilities for decontamination.
