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06-17-2010, 12:17 PM

So they're expecting oil to make its way to my area in the next couple weeks. My county has this whole plan laid out, I read about it the other day on the post, but can't find the link now.

Quote:

WEST PALM BEACH — Palm Beach County emergency managers said Thursday they won't sit back and wait for BP to clean up oil that makes its way here from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We are driving the boat here, not BP," said Assistant County Administrator Vince Bonvento, who oversees the county's public safety department. "We are going to take whatever measures are necessary to protect our beaches and estuaries. If they don't have the resources, it is up to us to step up."

The vow came against the backdrop of local leaders in other states, such as Tony Kennon, mayor of Orange Beach, Ala., expressing frustration that BP had not provided adequate protection before the oil arrived or the adequate clean-up help afterwards. Tar started hitting the Alabama town's beaches last week and heavier oil entered its inland waterways on the Alabama-Florida border Wednesday.

It also came even though Palm Beach County found it has 14 miles of sensitive environmental areas within its waterways and estuaries, but only one mile of protective boom to shield those areas from globs of tar. If the threat of oil coming here increases, officials said they hope the Coast Guard would send additional booms here. But with booms in short supply, county environmental managers said they would explore using slit fencing to keep tar out.

The concept was part of a response plan unveiled Thursday by the county task force created to deal with the ecological ramifications of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion for Palm Beach County.

Using booms to completely block the county's four inlets is not part of their plan, officials said. The currents are too strong and the oil globs too heavy for them to be effective, they said.

Instead, officials are focusing their efforts on protecting sensitive mangroves, sea grasses and oyster reefs, which have been ranked based on their environmental significance. The highest-ranking areas would receive booms first.

The county has also pinpointed areas where water currents naturally draw trash and debris. Those areas are being monitored for signs of oil, officials have said.

The county would not try to remove light tar or oil from coral reefs offshore because such manual attempts also could damage the reefs. But if large amounts of oil hit the reefs, the county plans to use specialized floating vacuums to remove it.

Meanwhile, state officials have also begun collecting water and sediment samples along the coastline. The samples will be used to document damage to waterways and estuaries caused by the oil spill, county managers said.

Under the county's plan, BP would ultimately be responsible for cleaning up and disposing of tar balls, said Dan Bates, head of the county's Environmental Enhancement and Restoration division.

But the county is also working to train some of its workers to pick up tar balls manually, Bates said. The county doesn't plan to use rakes for fear of harming turtle nests, but if the tar is too heavy, then rakes would have to be used.

The county's waste management agency is also preparing to dispose of the tar outside of the county if BP fails to get rid of it, Bates said.

But that gas bubble now has me worried, and that it's the floor now spewing oil?...how's that ever gonna stop? :-\