Rick's Blog

June 16 Beach Update

* Winds from the south will continue to push oil towards our shores. Today we have a 40 percent chance of rain. Highs in the 90s and high humidity may hinder cleanup efforts.
* NOAA near shore forecasting shows continued oil impact for the next 72 hours.
* 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.
* Tar balls and tar patties continue to come in with nightly high tides over widely scattered areas of the beaches. Cleanup crews are responding daily.
* 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.

Pensacola Beach

* Pensacola Beach monitors report very few tar balls on less than one percent of the entire beach.
* Sheen was reported off Pensacola Beach. It is lighter than has been seen in the last few days.

* 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

* Perdido Key monitors report tar balls and patties this morning. Some areas of the key are reporting up to 15 percent coverage of tar balls and patties.
* There is a ribbon of red-weathered oil and sheen about 30 feet wide running about six miles long, parallel to the surf line on Perdido Key. It is too close to the shoreline to skim by a vessel.

* 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

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