By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
Published: Saturday, June 12, 2010, 5:36 AM BILOXI, Miss. — Gooey oil mousse patties and tarballs struck Petit Bois and Horn islands on Friday, and emulsified oil slipped into the Mississippi Sound north of Petit Bois, according to state and federal officials. “We have seen, today, some pretty heavy oiling on Petit Bois, and those reports are still being consolidated,” Adrian Freeman, a National Park Service park ranger, said Friday. Petit Bois was “heavily peppered,” but the oil conditions change with the tide, she said. “We’ll certainly have cleaning crews out there. It looks like we’re going to have SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams) teams out early in the morning and crews going out, but total number, I don’t know yet.” The southern side of Petit Bois was covered with the oil material, Robbie Wilbur, communications director for the state Department of Environmental of Quality, said in a news release. The south side of the eastern third of Horn Island was 5 to 10 percent covered by oil material, he stated. William Walker, executive director of the state Department of Environmental Quality, said he would go today to the oiled area by boat, with a helicopter overhead, “to try to better ascertain what is actually out there.” Walker said sheen cannot be skimmed. “We are really not worried about the sheen. If that is all we get, we’ll be happy. It is just evaporation, but the degraded oil, depending on how degraded, it can be a problem, so we want to pick up as best as we can and keep it off our islands.” …
Gulf of Mexico oil spill slick slips into Mississippi Sound; 1,000 tar balls found on Horn Island oiled
