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 Monday (as of 7:00 p.m.) and sent to Unified Command for review and appropriate response:
Flight information:
· Possible emulsified oil mixed with algae near the southeast tip of Horn Island. A boat task force confirmed it to be heavily-weathered oil. The approximate location: N30o10.27/W88o33.27; N30o06.25/W88o28.85
Other Information from MDEQ staff:
· Harrison County–less than 1 percent intertidal coverage of heavily-weathered tar balls approximately 2mm to 2.54 cm in diameter. The heaviest frequency was one tar ball for every five feet of beach front and the thinnest was one tar ball every 20 feet. N30o23.509/W88o56.902; N30o23.457/W88o57.212
· Harrison County–less than one percent intertidal coverage of heavily weathered tar balls approximately 4 to 8 cm in diameter. The heaviest frequency was one tar ball for every five feet of beach front covered. N30o19.069/W89o13.961; N30o19.279/W89o13.426.
· A 1.9 mile stretch of beach, from Menge Avenue in Pass Christian to Pass Christian harbor, had approximately 200 tar patties (along the water line) ranging in size from 4 to 8cm in diameter.
· No oil-related material on the beach from the Bay Bridge to the Pass Christian Harbor.
· Jackson County–observed sporadic tar balls (less than 4cm in diameter) along the West Pascagoula beach. Determined to be less than five percent coverage.
· Beach assessment in Harrison County at the Long Beach Harbor headed east to Gulfport observed sporadic tar balls, less than 4 cm in diameter.
· Hancock County beach assessment from the American Legion Pier in Bay St. Louis west towards Waveland. As of this report, trace to sporadic tar balls, 1 to 5 cm in diameter, have been observed.
· Harrison County—MDEQ staff reported approximately 1.5 mile stretch of beach from the Coast Coliseum to Venetian Gardens and Highway 90, had approximately 10 tar patties ranging in size from 1 to 8 cm in diameter. Most tar patties were at edge of water line
· Reported tar balls on Singing River Island, less than 2cm in diameter, with less than five percent coverage.
· MDEQ staff observed approximately 30 tar patties along a 2.2 mile stretch of beach from the Beau Rivage Casino to St. Charles Avenue in Biloxi. The tar patties ranged in size from 1 to 8 cm in diameter.
· Sporadic tar balls and patties on the west end of East Pascagoula beach, most were between 1 to 2 cm in diameter with less than five percent coverage.
· Approximately 60 tar patties over a 0.8 mile stretch of beach between Miramar Avenue and Veterans Avenue in Biloxi. The patties ranged in size from 1 to 8 cm in diameter.
· SCAT team in Hancock County observed the following:
• A 20 meter wide band of mousse splatter at less than one percent coverage with an average size of 2 cm through the upper intertidal and supratidal zone from N30°14.366/W89°25.475 to N30°15.131/W89°25.264.
• A 7 meter wide band of 70 percent oiled vegetation at N30°15.366/W89°24.939.
• A zone of 50 percent oiled vegetation in a storm channel across the road from the coastline at N30°15.500/W89°24.751.
• A 20 meter wide band of mousse splatter at less than one percent coverage with an average size of 2 cm through the middle intertidal and supratidal zone at N30°15.672/W89°24.211.
• A 20 meter wide band of mousse splatter at less than one percent coverage with an average size of 2 cm through the upper intertidal and supratidal zone at N30° 15.806/W89°23.595.
• A 20 meter wide band of mousse splatter at less than one percent coverage with an average size of 2 cm through the upper intertidal and supratidal zone from N30°15.936/W89°23.279 to N30°17.636/W89°20.606.
• A 5 meter wide band of mousse splatter at less than one percent coverage with an average size of 2 cm through the upper intertidal from N30°17.636/W89°20.606 to N30°18.018/W89°20.005.
Mississippi Skimmer Activities
Leased skimmers worked the shoreline in Harrison and Hancock County. The “Henderson Point” skimmer worked around Ship and Horn Islands in the Mississippi Sound.
Source: Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality