CREWS CONTAINING OIL SLICK; GAUGING HEALTH IMPACT OF SPILL ON WILDLIFE MAY TAKE AWHILE, STATE OFFICIALS SAY.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

The cleanup of as much as 21,000 gallons of oil that leaked from an offshore pipeline above the Santa Barbara Channel early this week is nearly complete, but the toll on wildlife continues to rise, officials said Friday.

Rescue crews led by the California Department of Fish and Game have brought in more than 100 oil-soaked birds, including 65 that had died. Two oil-tainted sea lions that had died also were recovered.

About 375 barrels of oil - 15,750 gallons - was recovered by a small fleet of skimming boats when cleanup on the water northwest of Point Conception ended late Thursday. The remaining oil, which is the consistency of axle grease, either evaporated, sunk or is being removed from sand from beach area along Vandenberg Air Force Base, officials said.

The state's mobile veterinary hospital will remain in operation at an old firehouse on the base for an indefinite period because the impact of oil spills on wildlife usually continues past cleanup efforts, said Dana Michaels, spokeswoman for the state Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response.

``It's a wildlife M.A.S.H. unit,'' Michaels explained. ``It always looks so good in the beginning and then it's a few days into a spill that the birds become so oiled that they actually become catchable.''

About two dozen surviving birds have been flown to the International Bird Rescue and Research Center in Berkeley for more intensive treatment. The remaining birds and any other wildlife brought in will be treated by animal welfare groups in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, Michaels said.

While sea birds often are the most severely impacted, other wildlife that could be affected include the endangered sea otters and sand crabs, starfish and other critters on beaches and in rocky tide-pool areas, Michaels said.

The 15-mile section of coast in the area of the spill is labeled ``extremely sensitive'' by the state Department of Fish and Game. It includes the Santa Ynez River estuary, where threatened fish species breed, as well as the southernmost reach of California's southern sea otter.

The oil harms birds because it ruins their insulating feathers, and it can kill birds when ingested. Otters also are harmed by the coating effects of the oil.

Torch Operating Co. shut down the pipeline from Platform Irene after an alarm sounded at 11 p.m. Sunday alerting crews to a drop in pressure. A ship then surveyed the area and found oil in the water at 2 a.m. Monday, midway between the platform, four miles off Point Pedernales and the company's Lompoc processing plant, company and regulatory officials said.

The company notified the U.S. Coast Guard and called in a cleanup contractor. Four skimming boats and 5,000 feet of inflatable boom were used to contain and remove oil from the sometimes choppy water, Coast Guard officials said.

A camera sent down to record the damage revealed a large crack in the 20-inch diameter pipeline near a flange connecting two sections of pipe. The cause was still under investigation, said Roger Canady, a Torch spokesman.

Divers sealed the pipe with fiberglass tape to prevent further leaking. A custom-designed clamp will be fabricated over the next two weeks that will be placed on the broken section, and then oil remaining in the pipeline can be pumped to shore and to the platform, Canady explained.

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Map: (color) Pipeline oil spill