The county's newly completed Toro Canyon Oil Water Separator | Credit: Courtesy County of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County Public Works has wrapped up the Toro Canyon Oil Water Separator Project, a multimillion-dollar effort designed to stop crude oil from seeping into Toro Canyon Creek and protect the surrounding environment. On October 7, the Board of Supervisors approved the final accounting for the $2.5 million project, completed by Innovative Construction Services, Inc.
Records of the Toro Canyon oil seep date back to 1882, when Occidental Mining and Petroleum Corporation (OMPC) dug into the hillside hoping to strike oil. Instead, they hit a water source.
That same year, an Oil Water Separator (OWS) was installed to treat the water after the company shifted its focus from oil extraction to supplying the nearby Summerland community.
But over time, the OWS broke down, and when it was vandalized in 1997, more than 3,000 gallons of oil spilled into the creek, prompting an emergency cleanup led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Fish and Game.
Since then, the area has still struggled with oil-water mixture issues and with the 2017 Thomas Fire, and the 2023 winter storms -- which caused another spill that caught public attention and led to legal disputes between the District Attorney's Office and County Counsel over the county's handling of the site -- the county was left with little choice but to rebuild it from the ground up.
Construction began in 2023, and the notice of completion was recorded by the county clerk on March 28, 2025.
The project includes a new concrete oil-water separator, a concrete diversion weir, a new double walled oil pipeline, and a 5,000-gallon double wall aboveground storage tank. The equipment replaces the outdated, fire-and-flood-damaged system and is designed to make long-term maintenance easier.
The total cost of the Toro Canyon project was $2,514,183.25, fully funded by the county's General Fund. A final payment of $113,521.63, set aside in the 2024-25 budget, will be released once the Board approves the Statement of Final Quantities.
The oil-water separator processes about 43,000 gallons of oil and water a day. Fifteen to 30 gallons of that mixture is oil, which comes out to between 0.03 percent and 0.07 percent of the total, said Public Information Officer Lael Wageneck.
By controlling the natural oil seep, the county can prevent crude oil from reaching Toro Canyon Creek and the coastline beyond, benefiting not only the environment, but the surrounding community.