[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish receives two Shallow Water Barge Recovery Systems

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish receives two Shallow Water Barge Recovery Systems

 

St. Bernard Parish oil spill operations received two Shallow Water Barge
Recovery Systems today, a tool used in oil cleanup operations. The SWBR
System consists of a vacuum pump with a suction hose, similar in design to a
shop-vac, which empties into a small storage tank. This product then enters
larger tanks which can store up to 6,000 gallons of product each and can be
used to transport the product if needed. The system is useful in shallow
water and marshes where most large skimming vessels can't operate. This
resource is not necessarily the first line of defense to fight the oil,
rather a line of defense once the oil has already passed into the marsh
areas and shallow inlets. 

 

The information regarding this technology was given to St. Bernard Parish by
the Louisiana National Guard. These systems are also available for
operations in Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes. 

 

"This is a positive step in the right direction for our parish, to procure a
resource such as this to fight the oil if in fact it does enter the shallow
inlets and marsh areas," St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said
today.  "More resources are needed and St. Bernard Unified Command will
continue to ask for these resources so that we are prepared as a parish to
continue to keep the oil out of our waters and to see that we are prepared
for worst case scenario."

 

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