Tar Balls Found On Alabama Beaches After Hurricane Lee To Be Tested

Posted in Alabama Maritime News,BP British Petroleum,Deepwater Horizon,Environment,Gulf Coast on September 8, 2011

GULF SHORES, AL. — Officials said Tuesday, Sept 6, that they plan to test black and brown tar balls that have washed up on Alabama’s prime tourist beaches due to Hurricane Lee to see whether it is related to the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The samples will be sent by officials to Auburn University for testing, according Brandon Franklin, the coastal plans manager for the city of Gulf Shores

The Huffington Post reports:

The exact origin of the tar balls is still unclear, and BP isn’t taking responsibility for the tar balls just yet. It has sent survey teams to conduct post-storm assessments along coastal beaches to determine what may have developed on the beaches and barrier islands as a result of Lee. The oil giant is prepared to mobilize response crews to affected areas if necessary, spokesman Tom Mueller said.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said most of the tar balls there were very small. The tar balls visible at Gulf Shores ranged from the size of a marble to nearly the size of a baseball.

Grant Brown, a spokesman for the city of Gulf Shores, said he had been told the situation wasn’t as bad as last year, when oil fouled beaches all along the Gulf Coast because of the BP oil spill. But it was significant, he said.

“It confirms our fear that there are tar mats just offshore and that we may have more tar coming in whenever there’s a storm,” he said.

BP officials say SCAT teams have been sent out to clean up the tar balls.

Maritime attorneys, Gordon & Elias, L.L.P. work with Jones Act clients all along the Gulf Coast and throughout the nation. From Lake Charles to Lake Pontchartrain, our lawyers put decades of combined legal experience and extensive resources to work for clients who pursue compensation for their injuries under the Jones Act. We are the leading offshore injury law firm representing victims of the BP, Transocean Deepwater Horizon disaster, along with assisting businesses that were damaged by the impact of the Gulf oil spill. For a free consultation, call an expert maritime lawyer 24/7 at 800.773.6770.