Pensacola: BP targets submerged oil [View All]

BP cleanup contractors said they will be stepping up efforts in coming weeks to collect tons of buried oil and tar beneath the surface of beaches and waterways in Escambia County.

During a boat tour of Pensacola Bay and Perdido Key on Sunday, Joe Waller, BP’s Pensacola division supervisor for oil spill cleanup, said cleanup contractors are facing new challenges while determining how best to collect deposits of oil and tar that were found submerged at Pensacola Pass near Fort McRee last month.

<snip>

Joseph Pursley, BP’s Florida branch environmental coordinator, said the submerged oil was deposited during the oil spill by strong currents coming through Pensacola Pass from the Gulf. “As the oil came in, it got pounded into the beach, laid down, and then slid back to where it is now,” Pursley said.

<snip>

To minimize environmental damage, the current plan is for commercial divers to collect the oil by hand using special mesh bags that allow water to drain but contain most of the oil and tar.

MORE

http://oilspillaction.com/oil-spill-bp-targets-submerged-oil