San Diego County continues to receive reports of tar balls washing up on local beaches.
County Public Health officials are still waiting for tests to confirm if the tar balls are related to the oil spill in Orange County or the result of natural seepage. In any case, preventative action is being taken locally, and not just on the ground.
On Monday the U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego invited NBC 7 on one of its daily flights above the coastline to show how they've been monitoring the waters for oil slicks or oil sheen.
Sector San Diego's Deputy Commander Seth Parker said it's been more than four days since the crews spotted any sheening.
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"I believe that’s attributed to all the water response efforts. We had a water response task force really hitting it hard and really attacking the oil where it was spotted at on water," Parker said.
No oil was not spotted along San Diego County waters during Monday's flight, but high surf was visible.
Though the waters look OK at this point, tar balls onshore are still a point of concern.
"Basically we've been seeing three tar balls per mile of beach line, so it’s a very, very light impact. However, any oil in the environment we take very seriously," Parker said.
The U.S. Coast Guard is reminding beachgoers to not touch or pick up tar balls and report them instead. People can send in tips and information via email to: tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov
Crews plan to continue their assessment as another weather system with high winds heads into the region Monday night.
"For those at most threat with this weather storm coming in, we have protected booming in place," explained Deputy Commander Parker.
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While safety measures have been taken, Parker said they anticipate high winds along with 6 to 8-foot seas that could potentially churn up some oil.
Five shoreline cleanup assessment teams were dispatched Monday to check conditions on beaches from La Jolla to Coronado.
