| Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
July 3, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MDEQ JULY 3 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 Saturday (as of 6:00 p.m.) and sent to Unified Command for review and appropriate response:
Information from a morning flight:
· Tar balls along the shoreline in the vicinity of Point Aux Chenes running for approximately 1,100 yards (east of Pascagoula):
Start point: N30 19.55 W88 27.93
End point: N30 19.18 W88 28.36
· Possible oil stained grass, intermittently visible, south of the Chevron refinery in Pascagoula:
Start point: N30 19.19 W88 28.92
End Point: N30 19.18 W88 29.54
Information from an afternoon flight:
· One-half mile wide streaks of sheen five miles south of Horn Island with 60 percent coverage: N30 07.78 W88 36.88 (midpoints) N30 04.78 W88 39.12 (midpoints)
· Streaks of sheen south of the Barrier Islands
Box points are:
N30 06.40 W88 27.50
N30 05.10 W88 28.70
N30 05.20 W88 32.00
N30 05.31 W88 31.50
Other information:
● The following areas in Harrison County had scattered tar balls and tar patties:
o Debuys Road ¨Biloxi
o St. Charles Road ¨Biloxi
o Edgewater Road ¨Biloxi
o Rodenberg Road ¨Biloxi
o Espy Road ¨Pass Christian
o Long Road ¨Pass Christian
• One to five percent coverage of tar balls and tar patties on the East Beachhead of Cat Island with smaller segments showing coverage up to 30 percent. Tar balls and tar patties were observed at the shoreline and also in the tidally influenced areas above the shoreline.
• Tar balls of less than one percent coverage on a 200 yard stretch of beach on the northeast corner of Singing River Island.
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 MDEQh and DMRh roles in oil spill response are available at www.deq.state.ms.us/oilspill and www.dmr.state.ms.us/DMR/oil-spill.htm.
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