Palm Beach County and Local Partners have initiated a Planning Task Force to respond to the possibility of impacts for this event. This site will provide you with local information on the progress of the task force and links to general information about the spill as well as opportunities to participate in these efforts.
Since the oil spill began on April 22, there has been no impact to Florida’s shores. Palm Beach County’s 47 miles of coastline along with its 200 hotels, resorts and many attractions are not affected and open for business. See our live beach cams.
On Tuesday, April 20, an offshore oil drilling platform, Deepwater Horizon, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. The rig, owned by Transocean Ltd, was under contract to British Petroleum (BP). Oil continues to leak from the well as BP attempts a number of strategies to stem the flow. BP and the United States Coast Guard are the lead response agencies on the oil spill. For general information, please visit:
www.RestoreTheGulf.gov or DeepWaterHorizonResopnse.com.
The initial Palm Beach County Task Force meeting on May 17 included presentations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the Unites States Coast Guard (USCG), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and County staff on the status of the spill, projections of plume dispersal, contingency planning and local coordination efforts. The four subcommittees formed according to defined geographic zones include representation from coastal municipalities, districts and the FDEP. They discussed local planning and response strategies and provided updated information, including local resource and strategy maps, mapping of natural collection points, detailing staging options and an inventory available equipment for the Southeast Florida Area Contingency Plan. The Plan is the focal point of coordinated response planning, providing detailed information on procedures, priorities and appropriate countermeasures to discharges of oil.
With input from well over one hundred individuals representing 33 agencies in the Task Force, a Local Action Plan (LAP) was created to provide response strategies specific to the Deepwater Horizon Spill. The LAP includes a pre-event sampling plan to record baseline levels of hydrocarbons in the marine environment, work that is already underway. Protective booming and beach cleanup strategies are oriented toward the weathered oil that is more likely to be the basis of any local impact. The LAP emphasizes local concerns and sets out response expectations. It also provides for local actions as needed. Approval of the LAP will ensure a coordinated response and reimbursement for any local actions.
South Lake Worth, Boynton Inlet Webcam, Florida
Provided by Palm Beach County Enviornmental Resources Management
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