Bay County Deepwater Horizon update

Bay County has filed, or is in the process of filing, claims in excess of $6 million for reimbursement from BP for expenditures in dealing with the oil release. The booming project in the St. Andrew Pass accounts for $5.1 million, and other already filed expenses include:

- $5,453 for Bay County Sheriff's Office reconnaissance flyovers and labor

- $21,814 for Tourist Development Council coastal engineering on the beach protection plan

- $162,750 for Phillips Inlet/Lake Powell fill-in project

- $36,464 for health advisory signs and personnel

- $6,615 to Gulf Coast Community College for training expenses

- $58,692 for hotline costs at the county's Emergency Operations Center

- $3,365 for Panama City Police Department security at the Panama City Marina

Bay County is in the process of filing another $670,320 claim for Bay County employees' time as well as purchases associated with the oil release. Additional claims are forthcoming.

Lake Powell project to begin

A project to fill in Lake Powell to protect the water body from possible oil intrusion will begin tomorrow, according to Bay County Public Works Director Ken Schnell.

"We're going to start hauling sand first thing in the morning," Schnell said.

Heavy rains caused the need for the filler placed there about a month ago to be removed so that the lake could drain.

"We're really appreciative to the people at Pinnacle Port and Carillon Beach," he said. "If they didn't allow us to use their accesses, we would have to drive in three miles to get to the lake, so they've been very helpful."

In other news:

-- Bay beaches remained clear Tuesday. Click here to view the state's interactive Web site.

-- According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil plume is 110 miles from
Pensacola, 130 miles from Panama City. However, a U.S. National Guard crew spotted a small amount of oil approximately 25 miles off Pensacola. NOAA trajectory forecasts are showing a slow eastward movement of both offshore oil and the near shore uncertainty line through Friday. No direct significant onshore impacts are forecast through the end of the week.

-- The estimated release rate of oil from Deepwater Horizon is at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day. The "capping stack", designed to capture greater quantities of oil, was installed on July 12. Additional analysis of the well testing procedure is
currently being performed. The next step is a well integrity test, which involves
closing one or more of the valves on the new cap for a period of time to allow BP to
measure pressures in the well. On July 13 the total oil recovered was approximately 17,060 barrels.

- Command Branch 3, located at the former Miracle Strip Amusement Park, is set up and operational as a forward operating base. Local, state and federal emergency officials will be stationed at the location to assist in coordination of the response.

-- Since Monday, eight bags of oiled product were recovered and another 74 bags of trash were collected.

-- The Department of Financial Services will hold a seminar for businesses from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Panama City Hall on Wednesday, July 21. Topics to be addressed include:

* Florida Workers' Compensation Coverage Requirements
* Out of State Employers
* Employer/ Employee Relationship
* Independent Contractors
* US Longshore & Harbor Workers Act
* Enforcement Authority

For more information, please visit the Division's website.

-- 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.

-- Often reports of oil are 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.

-- Some 1,000 BP contract employees are currently working on Bay County beaches, with approximately 750 on duty during daylight hours and another 250 working at night, according to Vani Rao, community outreach coordinator for BP.

-- 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.