MDEQ Update

BILOXI, Miss. – Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)  staff through aerial surveillance with the Mississippi National Guard, MDEQ response staff, and Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT)  have observed the following Tuesday (as of 7:00 p.m.) and sent to Unified Command for review and appropriate response:  Flight  information:     ·    Area  of  sheen  approximately  one-half mile in diameter containing  small amounts of tar patties no more than 1 foot in diameter off West Ship Island (N 30 14.64, W 88 59.68).     ·    Small  area  of  approximately  50  by 200 yards of widely-dispersed emulsified oil patties ranging in size from a few inches to 5 feet in  diameter located south of West Ship Island (N 30 12.11, W 88 58.13).     ·    Large concentration of tar balls of varying size south of the eastern tip of Horn Island (N 30 10.16, W 88 35.15).     ·    Area approximately 5.8 miles long by one to six feet wide located 2.4 miles  southwest  of  the  western  tip  of Horn Island consisting of emulsified  oil  with  1  percent  coverage  tar patties and possible organic  material  intermixed (N 30 13.26, W 88 50.05;  N 30 12.17, W  88 44.39).     ·    Large  area  of light to heavy sheen with widely dispersed tar balls with  less  than  1  percent  coverage  (N 30.07.99, W 88 44.13; N 30 07.99, W 88 35.51; N 30 09.00 W 88 35.00; N 30 09.00, W 45.00).  Other information:     ·    Tar balls along Hancock County Beach ranging in size from one-quarter  to  one-half  inch.   Heaviest  concentrations  were  found along the Waveland  Beach  area.   Cleaning  crews  of approximately 120 to 150       people were onsite working intermittently due to stormy weather.     ·    A  SCAT team started east of the Highway 90 Bridge at Pass Christian and continued   east   to  the  Long  Beach  Pier.   They  observed approximately one tar ball every ten meters in the segments where tar balls were found.     ·    A  SCAT  team  conducted  assessments  by  foot  along  the southern coastline  of  Deer Island with moussed oil observed in trace amounts (less  than  1  percent)  in  the  vegetation.  No  other significant      observations were noted.     Patches of tar balls and weathered oil are skimmed and corralled by Vessels of Opportunity and BP contractors. Skimming is used to remove  streams of emulsified oil, tar balls, and tar patties.  Tar balls and    mousse patties on land are removed with shovels and rakes.     More information and links about MDEQ’s and DMR’s roles in oil spill  response are available at www.deq.state.ms.us/oilspill and  www.dmr.state.ms.us/DMR/oil-spill.htm.