A 1,000-pound BP tar mat found on Fort Pickens beach

http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2014/06/22/tar-mat-found/11237777/

June 23, 2014

Nearly four years to the day when BP oil began soiling our beaches, a 1,000-pound tar mat is being cleaned up on Fort Pickens beach.

A tar mat on a beach in the National Seashore's Fort Pickens area is larger than first thought.

A Coast Guard-led cleanup crew thought the mat was getting lighter on Saturday, but they found another large area on Sunday.

As of the conclusion of work on Sunday, approximately 1,250 pounds of material has been collected, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Murphy, in charge of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response.

"We're scheduled to work again today, though the weather may not cooperate," she said.

National Park team diving for BP oil

Murphy said it's really hard to know how much is out there since it's not visible. Crews will continue to dig around the perimeter and out into the water to make sure they collect all of it — for however long it takes.

Seashore Superintendent Dan Brown said he's not surprised the mat surfaced, based on the number of tar balls that frequently washed up along the stretch of the beach.

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