Bay County Deepwater Horizon update

According to a News Herald breaking news report: BP says oil from its broken well has stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since April. The announcement Thursday came after company officials said all valves had been shut on a new cap over the busted well in an experiment to stop the spill.

In other news:

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

-- According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil plume is 128 miles from
Pensacola, 130 miles from Panama City. Trajectory forecasts are showing a slow
northward movement of both offshore oil and the nearshore uncertainty line
through Saturday. Offshore, no oil has been observed within or moving towards
Eddy Franklin and there is no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.

-- Bridge loans for oil-spill affected businesses are now available in Bay County through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in partnership with the Bay County Economic Development Alliance (EDA). Six local banks have agreed to serve on the Loan Review Committee, including: BB&T, Hancock Bank, Regions Bank, Summit Bank, SunTrust and Vision Bank. Governor Crist activated Florida's Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, which provides emergency, short-term loans to established small businesses affected by the oil spill. Five million dollars has been allocated to fund the program, which provides loans of up to $25,000, interest-free, for up to 12 months to businesses that are physically or economically damaged by the spill. The short-term loans help bridge the gap between the time the business is impacted and when it secures other resources, including profits from a revived business, payment of claims or longer-term loans. To be eligible, the business must have fewer than 100 employees and been operational for at least one full year. Eligibility requirements, documentation, applications and instructions can be found here. For more information, please call the SBDC at (850) 271-1108.

-- Bay County has filed, or is in the process of filing, claims in excess of $6.3 million for reimbursement from BP for expenditures in dealing with the oil release.

-- A project to fill in Lake Powell to protect the water body from possible oil intrusion will began Thursday and should be completed by Friday, according to Bay County Public Works Director Ken Schnell.

-- 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.

-- 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.