Here is some New Detailed Boom Informaiton
In what has become par for the course, the city of Destin will continue to follow the lead of Okaloosa County when it comes to boom placement and possible oil cleanup efforts.
At an emergency City Council meeting Monday, City Manager Greg Kisela said the county plans to use a three-prong approach when it comes to setting up the booming plan.
“I think the county has their hands around the potential that oil will make its way to our beaches and into our Bay,” he said. “Booms have been staged in East Pass, so if they are needed, they are ready to be deployed.”
The county submitted a final version of its Local Action Plan to the unified command center on Tuesday. This plan details offshore, nearshore and onshore responses.
According to the action plan, the jetties along East Pass and groins near Norriego Point will be completely surrounded by silt/turbidity curtains, or booms with skirts that are 24 inches long. The affected rip-rap can then be pressure washed to remove the oil.
When it comes to booming East Pass, the strategy is still in flux. High surf in the pass could cause the oil slick to spread faster than it would offshore. Initially, a series of booms will be deployed to deflect the oil to collection sites in hopes to limit the amount of oil passing into the inland waterways.
This booming strategy is what they call an open chevron configuration, and will use 6,600 feet of boom, still allowing for boat traffic to make its way through the pass.
The booms will also be fitted with warning lights, and at night, marine patrol will be on hand to escort boaters through the chevron. The chevron can also be opened and closed depending on the severity of the situation, or the necessity of boat traffic through the pass.
Kisela said if the oil were to make its way inshore (less than 30 feet of water), a different plan would be put into place to collect the oil.
“The plan is similar to that of the offshore,” he said. “It still uses skimming and booming.”
For the inshore plan, oil wouldbeboomedanddeflected toward recovery boats, or an area that has been determined to have “low environmental sensitivity.”
If and when oil does make its way to Destin’s beaches, Kisela said they will use a “tar ball brigade” to clean up the oil.
The brigade is a group of trained volunteers that will go out on the beaches every morning and clean up whatever impact there may be, whether it is tar balls or liquid oil.
“We will have a system in place to keep track of all the sand that was removed from our beaches,” Kisela said. “We will be reimbursed for the sand or it will be replaced by BP.”
City councilman Jim Bagby said the most important thing residents can do to help is “observe and report.”
“We just need people to know that you have to be certified to get out there and clean things up,” he said.
While the county continues to monitor the situation, they have laid out a detailed cost estimate, which includes everything from equipment and supplies, to treatment and personnel. The estimated price tag for the initial 30-day response will be $9.4 million, according to the county’s action plan.
When asked about an expected impact in Destin, Mayor Sam Seevers said she just doesn’t know.
“I am past the point of trying to guesstimate,” she said. “There is just no way to really tell at this point.”
Currently, the winds have shifted to the west and are pushing the oil slick toward Texas.
“We cannot sit back on our laurels and say ‘well, it’s not coming our way,’ ” Seevers said.
DEVON RAVINE | Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRIST IN DESTIN: The charter boat Phoenix navigates through East Pass Sunday with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on board. Crist swung through Destin for a short fishing trip and to talk to captains. To read a full story on the day and see more photos, see
