Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
June 27, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJUNE 27 UPDATE ON OIL MATERIAL IN MISSISSIPPI WATERS
BILOXI, Miss. – Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) staff through aerial surveillance with the Mississippi National Guard and Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT) have observed the following Sunday (as of 3:00 p.m.) and sent to Unified Command for review and appropriate response:
•Small patch of possible sheen (N30 13.394 W088 52.602)
•Long line of possible emulsified substance with sheen around it (N30 09.094 W088 46.780).
•Points of large patches of possible sheen and emulsified substance (N30 10.743 W088 46.193
and N30 10.125 W088 45 90).
•Several large patches of possible emulsified substance and sheen (N29 52.326 W088 37.168)
•Long line of possible emulsified substance approximately 20 miles off
South Petit Bois (N29 51.686 W088 27.949).
•Streaks of possible sheen (N30 11.574 W088 57.229).
•Possible mousse patties within sheen-like substance (N30 04.129 W087 41.434).
•Large area of possible sheen (N29 54.508 W087 41.038).
•Large patch of metallic sheen (N29 38.902 W087 47.144).
•Large irregular area of rainbow sheen with streamers of emulsification 30-40 feet wide and ranging from 100 yards to 2 miles long estimated at 40 percent coverage along the following line:
N30 12.35 W088 57.04
N30 16.23 W088 51.69
N30 18.08 W088 49.49
N30 15.40 W088 41.99
•Pass between Ship island and Horn Island -- reported N30 15.56 W088 31.02 as the center of a 2 mile by 1 miles box containing 50 percent coverage of light, metallic sheen.
•Single streamer of emulsification with rainbow sheen offshore from Ocean Springs with the northern extent being at N30 22.77 W88 48.73 and the southeastern extent ending at N30 19.84 W88 45.84. The northern edge is approximately 300 yards wide consisting of emulsification and tapers to approximately 20 feet wide at its southern end consisting of metallic and rainbow sheen.
•Emulsified oil and tar balls on the west end of the beach at Belle Fontaine Beach.
•Emulsified oil and tar balls reported at the mouth of Davis Bayou in a line to Deer Island.
•Oil and tar balls reported at Lake Mars Boat Landing. Four small tar balls (less than one inch) were found on the beach west of the Mars lake boat landing (N30 21.818' W88 46.077').
•Leading edge of tar ball field starting approximately 3 miles south of Highway 90 bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs.
•Sheen and tar balls just south of Beau Rivage at N30 22’ 21.8” and W88 54’ 48.9”.
•Emulsified oil in Sound at N 30 17.223 W88 49.846 between Dog Key Pass and Deer Island.
•Oil materials mass moving through Dog Key Pass and towards Biloxi Bay.
•Tar balls moving into Biloxi Bay on the west side toward Deer Island.
•Northrop Grumman reported tar balls at the mouth of the Pascagoula River on the east side.
(see attached map compiled by the Mississippi National Guard for more location information about some of the sightings this morning)
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 and www.dmr.ms.gov.
# # #
=   |