Florida Outlines BP Gulf Oil Spill Response For July 4, 2010
On Day 76 of the Gulf oil spill tar balls, tar patties and sheen have been reported in Northwest Florida, with the heaviest impacts reported in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.
Impacts in the already affected areas in Northwest Florida will continue within the next 72 hours. View the latest reconnaissance reports here.
Due to the amount of boat traffic on the Fourth of July, 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.
All gulf beaches in Escambia County are now under a health advisory that will remain in effect until beaches are no long impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The advisory, issued by the Escambia County Health Department, is for all beaches, including Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and the portions of the Gulf Islands National Seashore fronting the Gulf of Mexico.
On July 3 the total oil recovered was approximately 25,195 barrels: 17,020 barrels of oil were collected, 8,175 barrels of oil were flared and 57 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.
444 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled—approximately 73 miles in Florida, 258 miles in Louisiana, 62 miles in Mississippi and 51 miles in Alabama.
About 1.67 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied: 1.06 million on the surface and 612,000 subsea. More than 28.2 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
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 4, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Friday, July 2 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 Friday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS) and overflights. 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.
Moderate NE winds on Saturday are forecast to become SE by Saturday night and continue to have a southerly component through next week with speeds from 9-14 kts. Due to the northwestward movement of the slick over the past several days, the coastlines of MS, AL, and the FL panhandle west of Pensacola continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts. The Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound and the Mississippi Delta also continue to be threatened. To the west of the Delta, overflights on Friday observed only scattered sheens offshore west to Caillou Bay; no oil was observed offshore of Atchafalaya. However, models suggest more oil may be moved west of the Delta threatening shorelines as far west as Caillou Bay within this forecast period.
Florida Beaches Under Oil Impact Notices:
As of 9:00 a.m. on July 4, 2010, there are three Oil Impact Notices reported due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, affecting 15 beaches.
Escambia: County Park East, County Park West, Johnson Beach, Pensacola (Casino) Beach, Perdido Key State Park.
Okaloosa: Brackin Wayside, Henderson State Park Beach, James Lee Park Beach.
Ft. Walton beaches: Blue Mountain Beach Access, County Park, Dune Allen Beach Access, Eastern Lake Beach Access, Grayton Beach Access, Holly Street Beach Access, Inlet Beach Access (TDC Beach Access)
Landfall Reports and Predictions:
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.
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.
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. 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 conducted water and sediment sampling to use as a baseline and is monitoring air quality data. Statewide air quality monitoring is conducted in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more at http://www.airnow.gov/ or http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/.
In addition, real-time sampling data can be viewed at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/air.htm.
Air quality reports for July 3 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 412,100 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 3, 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.
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.
Fisheries & Seafood:
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.
On June 28, NOAA expanded the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to include portions of the oil slick moving beyond the area’s current northern boundary, off the Florida panhandle’s federal-state waterline. This boundary was moved eastward to Cape San Blas. This federal closure does not apply to any state waters.
This leaves more than 66 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. 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.
Tourism:
Through www.VISITFLORIDA.com/floridalive, vacationers are able to view web cams, real-time photos, live Twitter feeds and beach condition updates.
VISIT FLORIDA has a blog which hosts daily media coverage highlighting oil spill and Florida stories posted at www.sunshinematters.org.
The Florida State Parks website, http://www.floridastateparks.org, is updated daily and will list any impacts. Learn more by calling 1-850-245-2157.
Beach visitors are reminded that some state law enforcement officers and clean-up workers are using All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) to quickly gather information and respond to reported coastal impacts from the Deepwater Horizon event. Beach visitors are encouraged to use caution when officials on ATVs approach the area and allow these vehicles the right of way.
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, fisherman, Fishery Failure Determination, fishing, Florida, Florida seafood products, GOHSEP, Governance, government, Governor Charlie Crist, Gulf of Mexico, gulf oil map, July 4, 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, Tropical Storm Alex, U.S., United States, VISIT FLORIDA marketing campaign, White House, www.visitflorida.com
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