SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The National Park Service closed all of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach on Wednesday because of the oil spill Nov. 7 in the San Francisco Bay.

The southern portion of the beach was closed Tuesday at 7 p.m. from the Cliffhouse to Lincoln Avenue, Shirwin Smith of the National Park Service said. The northern portion was temporarily reopened Tuesday when it appeared to be clear of oil. It was shut again because oil appears to have returned to the area.

“We thought they’d come out OK, but it was looking like the oil was coming back,” Smith said.

The beach is closed “until further notice, like all the beaches, until we can get a grip on their status,” Smith said.

Nearly 30 beaches around the Bay Area remain closed while 1,517 people participate in a vast cleanup efforts, said the U.S. Coast Guard.

— Bay City News