Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf
OVERVIEW
On April 20, an offshore oil-drilling platform, Deepwater Horizon, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 50 miles offshore of Louisiana. Eleven people lost their lives and the platform was completely disabled. The explosion severed submerged pipelines some 5,000 feet below sea level and it is estimated that between 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil (1.5 to 2.5 million gallons) are spilling into the Gulf waters from these pipelines every day.
Stopping the flow of oil has been challenging. The rig, owned by Transocean Ltd, was under contract to BP. BP has attempted to stop the discharge of oil, but without success. None-the-less, the company is optimistic it can stop the flow into the Gulf by the end of the summer.
Since the explosion, state and federal agencies have been working with BP to contain and clean-up the oil from the water, beaches, marshes and estuaries. The oil has already impacted the coasts of several Gulf States and it is increasingly showing up in the waters and coastline of the panhandle of Florida. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been designated the lead agency in the state for dealing with this disaster.
The DEP is partnering with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and other state, local and federal agencies in assessing the damage and determining the health of fisheries and habitats, as well as conducting wildlife rescues and assisting with clean-up efforts. A report on sick, injured, rehabilitated and dead wildlife can be found at
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/55963.
The oil spill has impacted wildlife, tourism, recreational and commercial fishing, among other things. President Barak Obama has categorized this as "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced." Governor Charlie Crist considers the situation a priority in Florida and is doing everything he can to respond to and mitigate this disaster.
The Wildlife Foundation of Florida fully supports and appreciates the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its partners.
The Dept. of the Interior provides these facts about drilling in the Gulf:
- 1.7 million barrels of oil are produced in the Gulf every day
- 30% of total domestic oil production comes from the Gulf
- There are approximately 90 drilling rigs operating in the Gulf
- There are 3,500 production platforms which pump oil and gas by pipeline to the shore
- Nearly 1,000 of the platforms are manned
- 35,000 workers are engaged in the Gulf's offshore gas exploration and production.
To view an interactive map with links to oil-spill related websites, photos and videos, please visit http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/gulf-oil-spill-2010/
IMPACT ON FLORIDA WILDLIFE
Oiled bird update for July 15: No birds rescued: No birds were rescued in Florida yesterday and taken in for rehabilitation (still needs confirming). Four birds were released. Three birds in rehab died. No dead visibly oiled birds were recovered yesterday.
Florida's totals of visibly oiled birds now stand at:
- 156 recovered alive (106 have died, 14 released, 36 in rehab)
- 140 recovered dead
- Total live and dead recovered is 296
- Total dead is 246
There has been one visibly oiled dolphin and 22 visibly oiled sea turtles rescued in Florida during the event. Note: cause of death and stranding has not been determined for these animals, these are simply reports of birds, turtles and dolphins that had some measure of oil product externally. 410 additional dead birds have been recovered in the panhandle during the event that aren't visibly oiled externally but have not yet been necropsied to determine cause of death.
For the consolidated wildlife report that can be distributed and that is updated by noon each day go to:
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/55963
