Overview

The Santa Barbara oil spill occurred January 28, 1969 in the Santa Barbara Channel, when Union Oil's Platform A blow out, releasing and estimated 3 million gallons of crude oil into the channel and onto the beaches of Santa Barbara County in Southern California. The spill occurred approximately 6 miles off shore and took 10 days to control. The spill and subsequent death of thousands of birds and fish was national publicized and catalyzed the start of Earth Day.