Update on Ellwood Decommissioning Project
Update by the City of Goleta
The PRC 421-1 and 421-2 oil and gas decommissioning work is progressing on schedule and is going incredibly well.
Crews have removed the huge concrete caisson walls on PRC 421-1 and will start removing the second caisson walls later this week, continuing into early next week. It is exciting to see the walls almost entirely gone. Once both caisson walls have been removed, crews will start dismantling the piers. The caisson wall removal is a huge milestone in this important oil and gas decommissioning and beach restoration project along a pristinely beautiful stretch of the Goleta coastline.
The entire project is on track to finish by 2023.
Photos below show the work being done, courtesy of the State Lands Commission.
Ellwood Oil Pier Coming Down
By an edhat reader
Taken on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The old Ellwood Oil Pier is coming down. (see above photo)
27 Comments
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Dec 05, 2022 11:53 AMThat's the remnants of the old facility, but not the actual wooden pier, right? I really hope they don't pull that down. Some great fishing near it!
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Dec 05, 2022 04:45 PMSac, i was thinking the same thing. Although i generally only get salad around that spot, but i have caught a few big halis there and even caught a white sea bass there years ago. Near that spot, closer to the pier on the other side of the Bacara, is far better fishing. In fact there is a freedive spot right off the beach there that some friends call it Jurassic Park. It's a deep pit with a lot of structure....and big tasty things live in it. :) think of giant scallops, lobster, crab, rockfish and halis as well as sheepshead.
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Dec 05, 2022 04:50 PMZERO - nice! Will have to check that out!
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Dec 05, 2022 12:17 PMHere here Sac! Couldn’t agree more.
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Dec 05, 2022 12:25 PMHear hear?
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Dec 05, 2022 02:07 PMNot the pier. One of two oil pump stations. This project has been detailed in the Independent for months!
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Dec 05, 2022 03:38 PMhttps://www.kcbx.org/environment-and-energy/2022-11-16/goletas-last-two-offshore-oil-piers-at-haskells-beach-are-being-torn-down
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Dec 05, 2022 04:50 PMLooks like they're calling 'em piers.
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Dec 05, 2022 04:52 PMGoleta's last two offshore oil piers at Haskell's Beach are being torn down. Deconstruction of PRC 421-1 and 421-2 at Haskell's Beach. From the shores of Haskell's beach in Goleta, you can see two rusty old piers in the distance being slowly demolished by heavy machinery.Nov 16, 2022
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Dec 05, 2022 04:56 PM4:50 - Yup, but people also call the wooden wharf structure near the Bacara the "pier" so it was good to find out they're not taking that down!
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Dec 06, 2022 08:37 AMRefers to "The ( as in singular) old Ellwood Oil Pier", but there are 2 piers there.
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Dec 06, 2022 10:58 AMThe last remnants of the historic Japanese attack at Ellwood.
Hopefully a plaque will go up there?
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Dec 06, 2022 11:14 AMTMO - there's a plaque on a boulder near the golf course commemorating the attack, as well as a trail sign at the beach. Also, I think those are newer facilities. The existing wooden pier, called the Ellwood Pier, is what was damaged during WWII, according to a great article about the attack: https://goletahistory.com/attack-on-ellwood/
If you're into local history, that site is amazing! Definitely check it out!
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Dec 06, 2022 11:39 AMsacjon - nice tell "Tom M.", to check is own web site. I'm sure you were going for "Humor" with that one!
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Dec 06, 2022 12:31 PMWhoops! Is TMO Tom M? I didn't know.
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Dec 06, 2022 12:44 PMYeah, most "recent" post/article:
https://www.edhat.com/news/the-main-begg-farmhouse
Thanks Tom!
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Dec 06, 2022 01:16 PM...forgot https://goletahistory.com/ is a great resource for Local history and enjoy the presentation format. So at least there's that. "...you people"
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Dec 06, 2022 01:41 PMWell, my bad! Sorry, Tom! Didn't mean to direct you to your own site. I gotta say, it's an awesome resource, so thank you very much for all your time and effort on it!
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Dec 07, 2022 07:08 AMHaha thanks I check that site out often! But these are the remainders of the piers that were bombed. The Haskells pier has been updated and modernized over the years because the oil companies were actively using it. It was never bombed. And true, there's a plaque at sandpiper, but something at the beach would be cool. Thanks for the kind words ;)
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Dec 07, 2022 08:23 AMTMO - no problem! I love showing off to my friends and family what I've learned from reading your site!
Re the bombing, that's interesting to know, as I always thought those were much newer piers. Darn though, makes it even more of a bummer to see them go! I always thought they were cool to look at and explore with the kids.
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Dec 07, 2022 09:57 AMThere is a plaque in the area behind the Bacara bathrooms, up the beach a short ways.
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Dec 07, 2022 03:53 PMTechnically, they weren't bombed; they were shelled.
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Dec 06, 2022 02:47 PMGuess not many people care where the swallows will be nesting now.
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Dec 06, 2022 03:08 PMPlenty of freeway overpasses, plus the remaining pier.
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Dec 06, 2022 04:14 PMAren't both being removed?
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Dec 06, 2022 04:22 PM4:14 - I don't think the wooden Ellwood Pier is being removed, just these 2 foundations or whatever they're called.
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Dec 07, 2022 02:56 PMSo maybe we can get Gregg Hart to find funds to reopen the Ellwood long pier and the Gaviota pier. Both been closed for a while and need upgrades.