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"Santa Barbara: 4.2 Million Gallons Spilled"
Only five and a half miles away from the shores of Santa Barbara, California was a 35 mile long oil spill. Senator Gaylord A. Nelson, had the idea to use straw to soak up the oil from the ocean. Prisoners took 12 days to complete the clean-up. -
"Sansinena: 1.26 Million Gallons"
In the Los Angeles Harbor, an explosion onboard of a Liberian-flagged vessel, spilled 1.26 million gallons into the harbor. Crews responded to the spill in just under 2 hours. The cleaning process took 120 days to complete. -
"Amoco Cadiz: 68.7 Million Gallons"
On the coast of Brittany, France , a supertanker ran aground during a fierce storm. This spill covered 125 miles of the cost in France. At this time in 1978, this spill was the largest oil spill on record. -
"Ixtoc I: 140 Million Gallons"
Only 50 miles off of the coast of Yucaten Peninsula, gushed mud-colored oil and other natural gases. The spill did not affect land, but it was not under control until 1980. The lucky wind and currents is what kept the oil from reaching land. -
"Exxon Valdez:10,8 Million Gallons"
In Price Williams Sound in Alaska, otters. fish, and other sea life, died drastically because of an intoxicated captain. The vessel was slammed full of oil and eventually hit bottom in the sound. There was a one-billion dollar clean-up fund. This spill cause taxes to raise on all oil items. -
"Megaborg:4.2 Million Gallons"
An engine room explosion is what caused this 4.2 million gallon oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the oil was burned off into the atmosphere, while some of the oil was pushed out into the sea by winds and waves. The tanker was plugged within a week. -
"Kuwait: 37.8 Billion Gallons"
Off of the cost of Kuwait, an explosion onboard of the tanker spilled 37.8 million gallons into the water. Half of the oil evaporated into the atmosphere. Surprisingly, 1 million barrels were recovered. The explosion took 8 months to extinguish. Very little long-term damage was done. -
"Hurricane Katrina: 7.98 Million Gallons"
During the devestating hurricane Katrina, the 140 mph winds uprooted pipelines underneath the ocean floor. The high winds and waves sunk 50 of the 4000 hulf platforms. There were high exposure to toxins in the air. -
"Deepwater Horizon: Ongoing"
Only 50 miles from the Louisiana coast, an explosion onboard of the rig spilled over 200,000 gallons a day into the Gulf of Mexico. the pipeline is one mile under the water. The explosion lasted for 2 days until rescuers and the Coast Gurad put the flames out. The spill is still ongoing.
