On December 24, 1993, a pipeline owned and operated by Berry Petroleum Company (Berry)
ruptured causing the discharge of approximately 2,075 barrels of crude oil (the Spill) in the
vicinity of McGrath Lake in Ventura County, California. Release of the crude oil resulted in
petroleum contamination along a pathway that extended from the pipeline rupture, along a
riparian corridor and adjacent wooded areas, into McGrath Lake, through a diversion pipeline
into a slough that traverses the dunes and beach, into the Pacific Ocean and onto approximately
seven (7) miles of sandy beach. Cleanup of the beach, dunes, lake, and riparian corridor included
removal and/or disturbance of oiled and un-oiled terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, debris, sand,
soil, and sediments using heavy equipment and hand tools.
The California Department of Fish and Game, the California Department of Parks and
Recreation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are the Trustees for the natural resources
injured by the Spill (Trustees). As authorized by federal and state law, an injury assessment was
conducted by the Trustees to determine the damages to natural resources resulting from the Spill.
The Trustees determined that petroleum contamination and cleanup activities resulted in injuries
to birds, fish, invertebrates, vegetation and habitats within riparian, lake/wetland and modified
sand dune plant communities in and around McGrath Lake, and McGrath State Beach, Ventura
County, California.
The United States and the State of California reached a settlement with Berry regarding natural
resource damages and penalties. The terms of the settlement are memorialized in a Consent
Decree, which was entered by the United States District Court on January 23, 1997. The
settlement required Berry to place $1,315,000 in a trust account to fund restoration projects that
will restore, rehabilitate, replace or acquire the equivalent of the injured, lost, damaged, or
destroyed natural resource and/or affected services resulting from the Oil Spill.
Pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Trustees, the McGrath Trustee
Council composed of Trustee representatives was formed. Under the authority of both the
California Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act and the federal Oil
Pollution Act of 1990, the McGrath Trustee Council has the sole responsibility to develop a
Restoration Plan, secure public input, adopt a Final Restoration Plan, and provide
implementation oversight for the successful completion of all restoration actions/projects.
Public comment and agency input were solicited through circulation of the draft Restoration Plan
and Environmental Assessment (Plan/EA) and at a public meeting held by the Trustee Council.
No new projects or substantive changes to the Plan/EA were proposed through that process.
The restoration alternatives (projects) presented in this Final Restoration Plan/EA include: land
acquisition (fee title/conservation easements), habitat enhancement/restoration, and public
information/education projects. Habitat enhancement/restoration projects include invasive
species control, natural recovery or seeding/planting, monitoring, and adaptive management in
various geographic areas (zones).
Environmental review of the Final Restoration Plan/EA (Final Plan) will be completed pursuant
to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) prior to adoption of the Final Plan by the Trustee Council. Additional environmental
review will take place if new information becomes available or conditions change during
implementation.