Florida Outlines BP Gulf Oil Spill Response For July 15, 2010
On Day 87 of the Gulf oil spill tar balls, tar mats and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida.
Continued impacts will be possible in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours. View the Florida Gator Interactive Oil Spill Map.
In preparation for commencement of the well integrity test, the middle ram has been closed and a leak has been detected in the choke line of the 3 ram stack. The leak has been isolated and will be repaired prior to starting the test. Recovery from the Helix Producer and the Q4000 have been temporarily suspended to allow for the well integrity test preparations.
For the first 12 hours on July 14 (midnight to noon), approximately 5,635 barrels of oil were collected and 3,930 barrels of oil and 23.2 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.
Approximately 572 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled: 69 miles in Florida, 328 miles in Louisiana, 108 miles in Mississippi, and 67 miles in Alabama.
About 1.82 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied: 1.07 million on the surface and 749,000 subsea. More than 31.8 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
As of July 15, Minimal tarballs were reported on Escambia County beaches, including Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. Tarballs were sighted beneath the surface one-half mile offshore. More than 1,000 workers were staged on the beaches and cleanup crews worked overnight and will continue to work throughout the day. Oil sheen was reported in both Pensacola and Perdido pass.
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 15, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Wednesday, July 14 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 Tuesday-Wednesday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS) and Wednesday 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.
Winds are forecast to be NW at 10 kts on Wednesday night and into Thursday AM. A persistent period of SE winds is forecast to begin on Thursday and continue through the weekend at speeds of up to 15 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.
On Site Actions:
The “capping stack,” designed to capture greater quantities of oil, was installed on July 12. Test procedures for the new cap are ongoing. Learn more.
BP continues efforts to drill two relief wells.
State Actions:
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1.
Three Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida.
On July 14, Governor Crist sent a letter to Doug Suttles, Chief Operating Officer for Exploration & Production for BP America Inc, in response to BP’s denial of Florida’s request for additional tourism marketing and advertising funds for local counties affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Learn more.
On July 14, Commander Joe Boudrow announced plans to form a working group to improve the Vessel of Opportunity Program (VoO) in Florida, which employs boat owners and their crews to help in the response across the Gulf. The Commander announced the working group after hearing concerns at a community meeting with commercial fisherman and other community members in Apalachicola. Learn more.
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 14 revealed that air quality was considered good for ozone and moderate for fine particulate concentrations in Northwest Florida. “Good” means the air quality is satisfactory and air pollution poses little or no risk. “Moderate” means air quality is acceptable for most people.
Landfall Reports and Predictions:
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.
Nearly 90 percent of Florida’s more than 1,260 miles of 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.
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.
Boom Placement:
Approximately 466,100 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 14, 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:
The current federal fisheries closure in the Gulf of Mexico 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 15, 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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