June 3, 2010

H2O Environmental and H2O OSRO (Oil Spill Response Organization) has been contracted by Okaloosa County Florida to protect vital inland areas as the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon Spill looms closer and closer to the Florida Panhandle. H2O will be deploying boom and monitoring the potential impacted areas as the spill progresses towards Okaloosa County. Currently, H2O Environmental has staged boom on June 3, 2010 for deployment on June 4, 2010. Please monitor our web page for updates and pictures.

(From Okaloosa County & State Emergency Management Officials)

The latest projections from NOAA indicate weathered oil from the leading edge of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill could impact the Florida Panhandle as early as this week due to a shift in winds and currents. Any potential impacts to Florida’s shoreline will be highly weathered, in the form of tar balls, oil sheen, tar mats or mousse – a pudding-like oil/water mixture that could be brown, rust or orange in color. No tar balls have been found on Okaloosa beaches to this point.

Oil sheen is now in the Navarre area, which is just about 30 miles away from Destin. The sheen was reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approximately six miles from Navarre Pier on June 3.

(From the City of Destin)

The City of Destin is now expecting oil sheen in the area within the next 72 hours. Okaloosa contractors will be deploying boom today in preparation for arrival. 11,000 feet arrived last night and another 25,000 feet is scheduled to arrive today.