LOS ANGELES — A pipeline rupture that spilled an estimated 101,000 gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara last month occurred along a badly corroded section that had worn away to a fraction of an inch in thickness, federal regulators disclosed Wednesday.
The preliminary findings released by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration point to a possible cause of the May 19 spill that blackened popular beaches and created a 9-mile slick.
The agency said investigators found that corrosion at the break site had degraded the pipe wall thickness to one-sixteenth of an inch, and that there was a 6-inch opening near the bottom of the pipe. Additionally, the report noted that the area that failed was near three repairs that had been made to the pipeline.
