California beaches could reopen after cleanup of oily goo

May 29, 2015 at 9:29 a.m. | Updated May 29, 2015 at 9:40 a.m.

by Associated Press

A cleanup crew collects balls of tar that washed ashore in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Popular beaches along nearly 7 miles of Los Angeles-area coastline are off-limits to surfing and swimming after balls of tar washed ashore. The beaches along south Santa Monica Bay appeared virtually free of oil Thursday morning after an overnight cleanup, but officials aren't sure if more tar will show up. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
A cleanup crew collects balls of tar that washed ashore in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Popular beaches along nearly 7 miles of Los Angeles-area coastline are off-limits to surfing and swimming after balls of tar washed ashore. The beaches along south Santa Monica Bay appeared virtually free of oil Thursday morning after an overnight cleanup, but officials aren't sure if more tar will show up. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Officials hope to reopen a 7-mile stretch of Southern California coastline that was closed to swimmers and surfers after globs of oily goo washed ashore.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Michael Anderson says officials are assessing cleanup efforts on the popular beaches Friday morning and would make a decision by midday.

Workers scooped up truckloads - about 30 cubic yards - of sandy tar balls and patties that began washing up Wednesday but had mostly dissipated by Thursday.

Anderson estimated that about 90 percent of the goo seen Wednesday has been collected along the stretch of coast from Manhattan Beach to Redondo Beach.

Samples of tar and water will be analyzed to identify where the material originated, but it could take days to get the results.

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