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Tar Balls found at St. Andrews State Park
News Release from Bay County
| Copyright 2010 by Dale Cox All Rights Reserved |
Panama City Beach and all other area
beaches remain open.
beaches remain open.
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BP contractors and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency personnel responded to reports of
tarballs washing ashore in the "Kiddie Pool" at St. Andrews State Park Monday afternoon.
About 100 tarballs showed up in the area.
"Tarballs are roughly the same specific gravity as water," Bay County Emergency Services
Chief Mark Bowen said. "They go where they are going to go, and no skimmer or boom is
going to prevent that."
Bowen said BP contractors continued to respond to scattered reports of tarballs washing up
on Panama City Beach.
According to a U.S. Coast Guard report, tarballs have washed ashore as far east as Crooked
Island.
Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen provided a helicopter flyover Monday morning at the
request of the Coast Guard, said Bowen, who participated.
"We flew seven miles out, east to the Walton County line," he said, "and we saw nothing." He
said severe storms last night may have helped push the oil farther south. He said the oil
sheen that was about five miles south of Lake Powell Sunday was nowhere in sight Monday
morning.
Bowen said BP contractors remain sufficiently responsive to the beach cleanup requests.
"Right now, they're able to keep up with the work," Bowen said. "My concern is, as this
expands, if it expands, right now they are right there out ahead of it -- I want them to be way,
way, way ahead of it."
He said Bay County is continuing to improve communications with BP contractors in an effort
to ensure the most timely response to oil-related calls.
All Bay County beaches remain open.
Other actions:
Total Deployed Boom in Bay County:
- Tier 1 Boom 100% completed.
- BP to deploy 2,500 ft of diversion boom out of west jetty at 0800 (June 21, 2010).
- Approximately 399,450 feet of boom has been placed in Florida along the most sensitive
areas of the Panhandle, and counties in the region are moving forward with supplemental
booming plans.
- Tier 1: 177,300 / Tier 2: 125,800 / Tier 3: 96,350
- As of June 20, 274,361 feet of supplemental boom has been deployed or staged by Florida
contractors.
BP has contracted TriState Bird Rescue and Research to perform all oiled wildlife
rehabilitation for the event. There is a stabilization center in Panama City. If people see oiled
wildlife, they need to report it to the oiled wildlife hotline 866-557-1401. BP has contracted
responders who are to respond to reports within an hour of the call being received, according
to a statement from the state Emergency Operations Center. Problems with response times
may be reported to eocw@myfwc.com. Oiled wildlife may also be reported to the local Bay
County hotline at 248-6030.
An oiled pied-billed grebe was found on west Penama City Beach Saturday. It was turned over
to Tri-State for triage in Panama City and then transported to Pensacola for recovery.
Bowen encouraged the public to report suspected oil sightings on Bay County shores or in
the Gulf to Bay County's hotline at (850) 248-6030, rather than calling 9-1-1.
"The 9-1-1 system is for life-and-death emergencies," Bowen said. "While the oil is an
emegency as well, we don't want to tie up our 9-1-1 operators if we don't have to. We can
better respond to the situation if people call the hotline."
The NOAA trajectories indicate an almost stationary movement of the oil slick through
Tuesday before a slow retreat to the west-northwest by Wednesday. The Florida Panhandle
will continue to be threatened by shoreline impacts as far east as Panama City through
Wednesday as tidal influences and southeast winds could continue to push sections of oil
towards the coast.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health
continue to conduct water and air quality sampling. To learn more about the sampling and for
health advisories concerning the Deepwater Horizon oil release, click here.
To report oil on the beach, a suspicious odor, oiled wildlife or for information about the oil
release, please call (850) 248-6030.
tarballs washing ashore in the "Kiddie Pool" at St. Andrews State Park Monday afternoon.
About 100 tarballs showed up in the area.
"Tarballs are roughly the same specific gravity as water," Bay County Emergency Services
Chief Mark Bowen said. "They go where they are going to go, and no skimmer or boom is
going to prevent that."
Bowen said BP contractors continued to respond to scattered reports of tarballs washing up
on Panama City Beach.
According to a U.S. Coast Guard report, tarballs have washed ashore as far east as Crooked
Island.
Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen provided a helicopter flyover Monday morning at the
request of the Coast Guard, said Bowen, who participated.
"We flew seven miles out, east to the Walton County line," he said, "and we saw nothing." He
said severe storms last night may have helped push the oil farther south. He said the oil
sheen that was about five miles south of Lake Powell Sunday was nowhere in sight Monday
morning.
Bowen said BP contractors remain sufficiently responsive to the beach cleanup requests.
"Right now, they're able to keep up with the work," Bowen said. "My concern is, as this
expands, if it expands, right now they are right there out ahead of it -- I want them to be way,
way, way ahead of it."
He said Bay County is continuing to improve communications with BP contractors in an effort
to ensure the most timely response to oil-related calls.
All Bay County beaches remain open.
Other actions:
Total Deployed Boom in Bay County:
- Tier 1 Boom 100% completed.
- BP to deploy 2,500 ft of diversion boom out of west jetty at 0800 (June 21, 2010).
- Approximately 399,450 feet of boom has been placed in Florida along the most sensitive
areas of the Panhandle, and counties in the region are moving forward with supplemental
booming plans.
- Tier 1: 177,300 / Tier 2: 125,800 / Tier 3: 96,350
- As of June 20, 274,361 feet of supplemental boom has been deployed or staged by Florida
contractors.
BP has contracted TriState Bird Rescue and Research to perform all oiled wildlife
rehabilitation for the event. There is a stabilization center in Panama City. If people see oiled
wildlife, they need to report it to the oiled wildlife hotline 866-557-1401. BP has contracted
responders who are to respond to reports within an hour of the call being received, according
to a statement from the state Emergency Operations Center. Problems with response times
may be reported to eocw@myfwc.com. Oiled wildlife may also be reported to the local Bay
County hotline at 248-6030.
An oiled pied-billed grebe was found on west Penama City Beach Saturday. It was turned over
to Tri-State for triage in Panama City and then transported to Pensacola for recovery.
Bowen encouraged the public to report suspected oil sightings on Bay County shores or in
the Gulf to Bay County's hotline at (850) 248-6030, rather than calling 9-1-1.
"The 9-1-1 system is for life-and-death emergencies," Bowen said. "While the oil is an
emegency as well, we don't want to tie up our 9-1-1 operators if we don't have to. We can
better respond to the situation if people call the hotline."
The NOAA trajectories indicate an almost stationary movement of the oil slick through
Tuesday before a slow retreat to the west-northwest by Wednesday. The Florida Panhandle
will continue to be threatened by shoreline impacts as far east as Panama City through
Wednesday as tidal influences and southeast winds could continue to push sections of oil
towards the coast.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health
continue to conduct water and air quality sampling. To learn more about the sampling and for
health advisories concerning the Deepwater Horizon oil release, click here.
To report oil on the beach, a suspicious odor, oiled wildlife or for information about the oil
release, please call (850) 248-6030.
BP contractors and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency personnel responded to
reports of tarballs washing ashore in the
"Kiddie Pool" at St. Andrews State Park
Monday afternoon. About 100 tarballs
showed up in the area.
"Tarballs are roughly the same specific
gravity as water," Bay County Emergency
Services Chief Mark Bowen said. "They go
where they are going to go, and no skimmer
or boom is going to prevent that."
Protection Agency personnel responded to
reports of tarballs washing ashore in the
"Kiddie Pool" at St. Andrews State Park
Monday afternoon. About 100 tarballs
showed up in the area.
"Tarballs are roughly the same specific
gravity as water," Bay County Emergency
Services Chief Mark Bowen said. "They go
where they are going to go, and no skimmer
or boom is going to prevent that."
