Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
June 29, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 29 UPDATE ON OIL MATERIAL IN MISSISSIPPI
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 3:00 p.m.) and sent to Unified Command for review and appropriate response:
• Two, five feet wide tar patty floating 1,000 feet off the beach south of Cowan Lorraine Road (N30 22.93 W88 59.86 and N30 22.44 W88 01.60).
• Area of widely dispersed tar patties one to three feet in diameter. Center point is N 30 18.41 W 89 01.04.
• 100 yard by 100 yard area of sheen with emulsified oil and tar patties. This location is one mile north of the eastern end of Petit Bois Island (N30 13.22 W88 24.59).
• A line of tar balls near the east end of Petit Bois Island that stretches from the south end around to the north end (N30 12.73 W88 23.51 to N30 10.24 W88 21.83).
• Tar mat 10 feet by 30 feet in diameter (N 30 15.12 W88 24.51).
• Tar balls and patties at the intersection of Debuys Road and Highway 90 on the Gulfport and Biloxi line (N 30 23.68 W 89 00 40.0).
• Tar balls and patties at the intersection of Courthouse Road and Highway 90 in Gulfport (N30 22.641 W89 02.613).
• Tar balls and patties one-fourth mile west of Beach Boulevard and Yacht Club Road in Pascagoula.
• Tar balls and patties at the intersection of Cowan Road and Highway 90 in Biloxi (N 30.38219 W 89.02637).
• Section of oil boom at the intersection of Highway 90 and Hill Place in Gulfport.
• Tar balls and patties directly across from Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula (N 30 20 38.6 W 88 32 02.1) stretching approximately 100 yards.
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.
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