Tuesday Oil Update

July 6, 2010

Here is the latest BP oil spill information for Tuesday, July 5 from the Florida Department of Environmental Management.

(Editor’s note: We normally run information from Escambia County’s daily update, however, Escambia County has not issued an update since Friday.)

Tar balls, tar patties and sheen have been reported in Northwest Florida, though fewer impacts were reported over the weekend due to westward-moving winds and ocean currents.

Continued impacts will be possible in Northwest Florida over the next 72-hours, likely in the form of tar balls and tar patties.

Nearly 90 percent of Florida’s coastline remains unimpacted.

If oil is sighted on Florida’s coastline report it to the State Warning Point at 1-877-2-SAVE-FL (1-877-272-8335) or by dialing #DEP from most cell phones.

Pensacola Pass as well as Perdido Pass will continue to be closed with the tide to reduce the amount of oil entering inland waters. These waterways are manned to allow access to necessary vessel traffic and are open for vessel traffic during low tide. See NOAA tide predictions.

Due to the amount of boat traffic on the Fourth of July weekend, if oil is present in or near Little Sabine Pass, Escambia County will not be opening the boom for recreational vessels. If Little Sabine pass is clear of oil, the boom will be opened on the outgoing tide. This is an effort to protect Little Sabine from oil, mousse and tar balls.

Observations by NOAA continue to indicate no significant amounts of oil moving toward the Loop Current. The Loop Current Ring, a circular current which was formerly part of the Loop Current provides no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.

There have been no reports of Deepwater Horizon oil spill-related products reaching the shore beyond the Northwest Florida region. There is no indication that the rest of the state will have impacts from weathered oil products within the next 72 hours.

There are currently three tropical waves being monitored for tropical cyclone development by the National Hurricane Center. A small tropical wave south of Louisiana has a 10% chance of development before it moves inland tonight. A tropical wave extending from northeast of the Leeward Islands and Virgin Islands through the eastern Caribbean Sea has a 10% chance for development as it moves west-northwest over the next few days. Environmental conditions near a tropical wave in the northwestern Caribbean Sea about 550 miles south of Key West are more favorable for development and this wave has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone by Wednesday.

On Site Actions:

Current projections estimate Deepwater Horizon’s discharge at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day. Learn more.

BP is continuing its efforts to contain the leak and capture a substantial amount of leaking oil from the use of the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) Cap Containment System. Get daily oil collection numbers here.

BP continues efforts to drill two relief wells.

State Actions:

The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1.

On July 2, the Florida Oil Spill Information Line activated Haitian Creole and Spanish call lines to serve as another resource providing Florida residents and visitors with up-to-date information. Call (877) 955-8707 for information in Haitian Creole and (877) 955-8773 for information in Spanish.

Five state-leased skimmers continue to operate in Northwest Florida to protect sensitive inland water bodies. These skimmers are operating at the passes in Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, Gulf and Franklin Counties.

DEP has conducted and continues to conduct water sampling monitoring to establish baseline conditions throughout the state. Learn more about sampling and results at www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/water.htm.

DEP’s Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas is conducting water sampling under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. Learn more.

Real-time sampling data from statewide air quality monitoring can be viewed at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/air.htm. Air quality reports for July 4 revealed that air quality was considered good for ozone and fine particulate concentrations in Northwest Florida. “Good” means the air quality is satisfactory and air pollution poses little or no risk.

Boom Placement:

Approximately 419,600 feet of boom has been placed in Northwest Florida along the most sensitive areas. Additionally, counties in the region are moving forward with supplemental booming plans. As of July 4, 316,261 feet of supplemental boom has been deployed or staged by Florida contractors.

Health Effects:

There are Oil Impact Notices posted for all Escambia and Walton County Gulf beaches. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.

If residents or visitors see tar or oiled debris on the beach, DO NOT PICK IT UP. For most people, an occasional brief contact with a small amount of oil will not cause any harm, however it is not recommended. Learn more.

Fisheries & Seafood:

On July 4, NOAA revised the commercial and recreational fishing closure in the oil impacted areas of the Gulf of Mexico. The new closure measures 81,181 square miles. This federal closure does not apply to any state waters and still leaves approximately 66 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. Learn more.

On July 2, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a plan to move sea turtle eggs that are within a week of hatching from the beaches in Northwest Florida to a facility on the central-east coast of Florida. Learn More.

A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.

To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401. For the safety of the public as well as the safety of animals, rescues should only be conducted by trained responders. Learn more.

Visit http://bpdecon.com for a list of vessel decontamination locations for oiled boats within the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Sector.

Learn More About Florida’s Response:

Visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com to learn more about Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, sign up for daily updates, view tips for businesses and consumers, and much more.

For a list of Unified Command, BP and Florida phone numbers, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm#numbers.

The Oil Spill Information Line is available at 1-888-337-3569 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week. Additional phone numbers have also been established for persons with disabilities: (800) 955-8771 (TDD) or (800) 955-8770 (voice).

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive