Florida Outlines BP Gulf Oil Spill Response For July 29, 2010
On Day 101 of the Gulf oil spill state reconnaissance teams operating by air, land and sea continue to identify potential impacts and are actively coordinating with cleanup teams.
Although sporadic sightings of tar balls may continue, Florida’s shoreline is not expected to receive additional impacts over the next 72 hours.. View the Florida Gator Interactive Oil Spill Map.
The Deepwater Horizon (MC252 ) well has been successfully shut in for two weeks and there is currently no oil flowing into the Gulf. Active monitoring continues during the integrity test and there has been no evidence of the well not having integrity.
The DDIII rig will make a clean out run with a drill bit on drill pipe prior to preparing to run casing.
Pressure in the well head continues to slowly increase and is approximately 6951 psi. Yesterday it was 6937 psi.
About 1.84 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied: 1.07 million on the surface and 771,000 subsea. More than 34.7 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
As of July 29, current impacts from the Deepwater Horizon incident on beaches in Escambia County, including Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, are extremely minimal and consist largely of reports of widely scattered tar balls. Clean up crews are staged to immediately respond to any reports.
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 29, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Wednesday, July 28 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 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 become NW overnight and continuing through Saturday at speeds of 5-15 kts. Observations from overflights indicate the remaining scattered “anomalies” observed by remote sensing are predominantly light sheens with very little recoverable oil being observed. With light winds and calm seas today, many of these anomalies were also confirmed to be false positives. Patches of emulsified oil and sheens were observed to the west of the Delta nearshore off Timbalier Bay and Barataria Bay. Shoreline impacts will begin to be reduced by the offshore winds, however, trajectories indicate Breton Sound, the Mississippi Delta and shorelines west to Timbalier Bay continue to be threatened by scattered impacts within this forecast period.
Message of the day: GATOR
Florida residents and visitors can track the state’s response efforts to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by utilizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s GATOR tracking device.
GATOR, which stands for Geospatial Assessment Tool for Operations and Response, tracks reports of oil impacts on Florida’s shoreline, reconnaissance and cleanup missions, weather radar and tropical system updates using geographic data that is updated in real time.
The interactive web mapping tool helps to support emergency preparedness, operations and response in Florida.
Click here to start using GATOR. Learn more.
Current Situation:
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1 or full activation.
The State continues to focus on mitigating impacts to Florida’s shoreline.
Currently Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
All supplemental Tier 3 boom is being removed in the Northwest Florida counties.
Four Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida. These branch offices bring together federal, state and local agencies to streamline response efforts.
No tropical activity is expected in the next 48 hours.
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.
A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.
Landfall Reports and Predictions:
Tar balls, tar mats and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida.
Continued impacts are possible but not likely in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours.
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.
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.
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:
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 29, 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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