Sorry, I’m late on posting this from the Escambia County EOC:
Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key Update
Thursday, June 17 – 11:00 a.m. – Update #14
* Winds from the north northwest will push oil away from our shores. Today we have a 40 percent chance of rain. Highs in the 90s.
* The University of West Florida conducted water quality tests on Monday. The results came back Wednesday afternoon. There were no dissolved hydrocarbons present in any the water samples.
* Please avoid driving and walking through tar balls on the beaches. This spreads and further packs the tar/oil into the sand.
* “Hot shot†teams will respond to specific requests during the day as needed.
* Oil reports vary widely throughout the day as heat from the sun brings subsurface oil to the top, and cooler temperatures at night tend to cause it to sink below the surface.
* A fishing closure is in effect from the state line east to the Pensacola Beach water tower, extending nine nautical miles into the gulf. Catch and release recreational fishing is still allowed.
Pensacola Beach
* Clean-up crews were out east and west of Pensacola Pass and on Pensacola Beach last night.
* Crews are expected to be back out at 6 p.m. this evening.
* Pensacola Pass was clear this morning.
* Harvesting of fish is allowed east of the Pensacola Beach water tower.
* Escambia County has opened field offices on Pensacola Beach to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Pensacola Beach field office will be located at 5 Via Deluna, Suite 8. The phone number is 934-6500.
* Lifeguards are patrolling beaches from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for any sign of oil.
* Pensacola Beach remains open for business.
* Pensacola Beach events and activities
* Pensacola Beach live web cam
Perdido Key
* This morning sheen and lines of tar balls were reported in the Perdido Pass.
* Crews are expected to be out this evening.
* Based on the volume of tar balls washing ashore on Perdido Key and the difficulty in avoiding contact with the tar in the surf, the state health department issued a health advisory June 8 from the Florida/Alabama line east to the entrance of Johnson Beach/Gulf Islands National Seashore. The health department will continue to monitor the levels of tar balls and will lift the advisory when conditions improve.
* The Health Department has posted signs at the affected area. Residents can safely participate in activities that are above the high tide line. Please see the Health Department web site for more information on health safety: www.escambiahealth.com. This is an advisory only, not a ban. People may still swim at their own risk.
* Escambia County has opened field offices on Perdido Key to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Perdido Key field office will be located at 13578 Perdido Key Dr. The phone number is 791-6905.
* The beaches and businesses on Perdido Key remain open.
* Perdido Key events and activities at www.visitperdidokey.com
* Perdido Key live web cam at www.visitperdidokey.com
Pensacola
* Events and activities for Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key at www.visitpensacola.com.
Important Phone Numbers
* Report oiled shoreline to 1-877-389-8932 or #DEP from a cell phone.
* Report oiled wildlife to 1-866-557-1401.
* Citizen Information Line: 850-471-6600