Florida Outlines BP Gulf Oil Spill Response For July 14, 2010
On Day 86 of the Gulf oil spill tar balls, tar mats and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida.
Further impacts will be possible in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours.
Nearly 90 percent of Florida’s more than 1,260 miles of coastline remains unimpacted. View the Florida Gator Interactive Oil Spill Map.
BP reports further analysis to be carried out before integrity test commences on MC252 well. Ramping up of the Helix Producer continues after start up at 11:35am on July 12.
On July 13, BP recovered a total of approximately 17,060 barrels: 9,175 barrels of oil were collected on the Helix Producer, 7,885 barrels of oil were flared on the Q4000 and 42.2 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared. Total oil recovered to date is 799,600 barrels.
Approximately 550 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled: 71 miles in Florida, 311 miles in Louisiana, 102 miles in Mississippi, and 66 miles in Alabama.
About 1.81 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied: 1.07 million on the surface and 735,000 subsea. More than 31.4 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
Weather conditions, wind and currents, continues to keep oil away from Escambia County beaches. Both Pensacola and Perdido passes were reported clear of oil this morning.
However, all gulf beaches in Escambia County remain under an Oil Impact Notice that will stay in effect until beaches are no longer impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Gulf beaches are open and swimming is not prohibited but swimmers are advised to avoid coming into contact with oil, whether in the water or on land.
Under the leadership of Governor Charlie Crist, the State Emergency Response Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are actively coordinating and responding to the Deepwater Horizon incident.
The following is a summary of state and BP response actions to date, as well as tips for residents and visitors to take precautions both pre and post-landfall.
Map of BP Oil Spill as of July 14, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Tuesday, July 13 PM. Currents were obtained from several models (NOAA Gulf of Mexico, West Florida Shelf/USF, TGLO/TAMU, NAVO/NRL) and HFR measurements. The model was initialized from Monday-Tuesday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS) and Tuesday overflight observations. The leading edge may contain tarballs that are not readily observable from the imagery (hence not included in the model initialization). Oil near bay inlets could be brought into that bay by local tidal currents.
Southwesterly winds are forecast to become W late Tuesday at 5-10 kts then be variable in direction for the next few days (W/NW/N). SE winds are forecast to begin late Thursday and continue through the weekend at speeds of 5-10 kts. Remote sensing imagery and overflights indicate that oil from the source is continuing to move to the south/southeast and there is very little oil remaining to the north. Imagery and overflights also indicate only several scattered sheens offshore to the west of the Delta; however, shorelines from Atchafalaya Bay to Southwest pass continue to be threatened by scattered tarballs for the next few days.
Landfall Reports and Predictions:
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.
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.
No significant tropical activity is expected in the next 48 hours.
On Site Actions:
Current projections estimate Deepwater Horizon’s discharge at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day. Learn more.
The “capping stack” procedure, designed to capture greater quantities of oil, was installed on July 12. Additional analysis of the well testing procedure is currently being performed. The next step is a well integrity test, which involves closing one or more of the valves on the new cap for a period of time to allow BP to measure pressures in the well. Learn more.
BP continues efforts to drill two relief wells
State Actions:
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1.
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.
A third Florida branch office is now fully operational in Panama City.
BP claimants should be aware of potential online or local claims scams. Report suspected claims fraud to 1-877-359-6281.
DEP 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 13 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 455,300 feet of hard boom and 8,580 feet of sorbent boom have 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 13, 316,261 feet of supplemental boom has been deployed or staged by Florida contractors.
Health Effects:
Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. 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 13, NOAA revised the commercial and recreational fishing closure in the oil impacted areas of the Gulf of Mexico. The new closure measures 83,927 square miles. This leaves approximately 65 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. This federal closure does not apply to any state waters. 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.
Tips for Homeowners:
While the state appreciates the concern expressed by Floridians and the ingenuity of those seeking alternative measures to help protect the state’s shoreline, the following tips are offered to ensure that these measures are helpful and not harmful to Florida’s coasts, wildlife and water resources: Tips for homeowners.
Tips for Businesses and Consumers:
The Attorney General’s fraud hotline is open to receive any reports of fraud or price gouging. The hotline is 1-866-966-7226.
The Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner gas price-gouging hotline is also operational. The toll-free hotline number is 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352).
Coastal businesses should make loss of earnings claims for damages incurred as a result of the oil spill. Learn more at http://www.myfloridacfo.com/ or by calling 1-850-413-3089 or toll-free at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).
To discuss spill related damage with BP representatives, please call the BP Claims Reporting Line at 1-800-440-0858.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Individuals interested in volunteering can register at www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org.
Volunteers will not be in direct contact with oil or oil-contaminated materials.
The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service – Volunteer Florida is encouraging Floridians and visitors to stay current on the latest information on scheduled beach cleanups and other local volunteer opportunities.
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).
Topics: 2010, beaches, BP, British Petroleum, business, coastline, Deepwater Horizon, Economy, emergency response, environment, environmental impact, Fishery Failure Determination, fishing, Florida, Florida seafood products, GOHSEP, Governance, government, Governor Charlie Crist, Gulf of Mexico, gulf oil map, July 14, landfall predictions, loans, Mexico Beach, moniter, monitor, news, noaa oil spill, Obama Administration, oil loop current, Oil Rig, oil spill, oil spill forecast, oil spill map, Panama City Beach, Panhandle, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Pass, pollution, President Obama, tourism, Transocean, U.S., United States, VISIT FLORIDA marketing campaign, White House, www.visitflorida.com
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