[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Oil Spill Response Operations deploying boom and skimming as much oil as possible as oil continues to impact St. Bernard's waters and marshes

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Oil Spill Response Operations deploying boom and skimming
as much oil as possible as oil continues to impact St. Bernard's waters and
marshes



Due to the continued oiling of shorelines and marshes in St. Bernard Parish
waters, St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro ordered operations
personnel to use resources on hand immediately to prevent further impact in
those areas. Crews have been working diligently over the weekend and into
today to deploy soft absorbent and hard oil containment boom along
shorelines and marsh areas in parish waters. Over 68,000 feet of hard
containment boom and 37,000 feet of soft absorbent boom have been deployed
strategically in the areas continually being hit by oil due to tide activity
and weather. The St. Bernard Commercial Fishing Fleet is now equipped with
12 brush skimming systems which are ready and available for use. Skimming
task forces are on call from the northern end to the southern end of parish
waters, ready to act on any confirmed reports of recoverable oil.
Additionally, the two Shallow Water Barge Recovery Systems given to St.
Bernard Parish by the Louisiana National Guard recovered 112 gallons of
oil/water mixture in the past 24 hours. 

 

While oil spill operations continue to use all resources on hand to combat
incoming oil and impacted marsh and shoreline, President Taffaro, Hopedale
Unified Command and St. Bernard Parish Council members continue to push for
resources that are needed on an immediate basis such as quarters barges for
crew staying out on the water overnight or for several days. Additional
skimming resources have also been requested. Although St. Bernard has
received some of these resources, they have been slow to arrive or diverted
to other areas. Command and Operations personnel will continue pushing for
all of the needed resources so that St. Bernard Parish is fully prepared for
any given situation.

 

Branch Command and Operations personnel are strategizing and following
advised techniques as to how to remediate oiled marsh without creating
further damage to these areas. A technique of "flushing" these areas will be
tested in the next few days. This an existing technology using a telescoping
arm which reaches into the marsh areas and applies water directionally at a
low height, ultimately flushing out the affected marsh area and depositing
the waste into a specially designed shallow water skimming mechanism. 

 

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