Bay County Deepwater Horizon update

Bay County beaches remained clear throughout the holiday weekend, Bay County Emergency Services Chief Mark Bowen told the Bay County Board of County Commissioners at their regular meeting Tuesday.

"The NOAA trajectories show the oil well away from Bay County shores," Bowen said. "It's about 125 miles south-southwest of the pass. I anticipate that in the coming days the weather will continue to be favorable for us."

As of Tuesday afternoon, state emergency management officials had received one report of about a dozen small tarballs being collected at Shell Island.

Bowen said BP contractors continue to scour Bay County beaches for signs of oil and worked through the holiday weekend doing so, though no significant amounts of product were recovered. He said some 1,000 contract employees are currently working here, with approximately 750 on duty during daylight hours and another 250 working at night.

Bowen added that crews were working to open Lake Powell so that rainwater collected there may escape -- he said the waterway would be closed again to protect it from oil intrusion after it sufficiently drains.

Bowen also reported to the board that the U.S. Coast Guard and BP officials at the highest levels are currently reviewing the pass project for reimbursement to Bay County. A BP official publicly committed to paying for the approximately $3 million effort at a meeting a couple of weeks ago.

"I don't see any impediment to getting to that public commitment that BP already made," Bowen said. He said that the state and federal permits were received as quickly as they were is promising. "I expect to hear back on that very shortly."

Last week, responders received a rash of reports of oil sheen and mousse off Bay County beaches late Thursday and early Friday morning. None of the reports, however, was determined to have been oil product, but rather was found to be naturally occurring substances such as seagrass and algae. Click here to read a press release about discerning oil from naturally occurring substances.

In other news:

-- Residents and visitors who see oiled wildlife should call Oiled Wildlife Hotline number at (866) 557-1401 and allow authorities to rescue the injured animal. Bay County residents may also call 248-6030 to report oiled or injured wildlife.

-- Two decontamination stations inside the bay for recreational vessels are being identified, though they are not built out, according to U.S. Coast Guard Commander Mike Frender. Two decontamination stations are also staged in the gulf, with one located three miles south of the St. Andrews Pass and another seven miles south of the pass. Those stations are for commercial, military, response and recreational vessels that are actively sheening as a result of contact with oil product. Once they are operable, mariners should avoid using the stations inside the bay if possible and should make every attempt to utilize the stations in the Gulf, Frender said. Boaters whose vessels may have been affected by contact with oil may contact the U.S. Coast Guard on their VHF radios at Channel 16 or Channel 71. A new website, created by BP, lists vessel decontamination locations within the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Sector for oiled boats.

-- The public is asked to report suspected oil sightings on Bay County shores or in the Gulf to Bay County's hotline at (850) 248-6030, rather than calling 9-1-1, as the emergency response system is for life-and-death situations, and Unified Command can better respond to beach cleanup requests if the local number is used. Residents may also call (866) 448-5816.

-- The state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health continue to conduct water and air quality sampling. To learn more about the sampling and for health advisories concerning the Deepwater Horizon oil release, click here. DEP conducted water and sediment sampling to use as a baseline and is monitoring air quality data. Statewide air quality monitoring is conducted in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more here or here. An online mapping resource that contains up-to-date health advisory information for Florida's beach waters can be viewed here.

-- BP's local claims office is located at 7938 Front Beach Road, in the shopping plaza near the Bay Street Deli. Business owners and those who have been affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil release may use this as a resource for recouping their financial losses. BP advises that people filing claims should still call the toll-free number to enter their information into the claims database. That number is (800) 440-0858. BP also has opened a community support office located at 3101 U.S. 98, across the street from Howell Marine and Tackle Supply. At this office, BP can provide information about the oil release and answer community questions.

-- Oil spill employment opportunities in this area are available. Visit the state Web site for Gulf Recovery Jobs information.