Okaloosa begins laying booms; oil nears Navarre Beach
State officials ordered Okaloosa County to begin deploying booms Thursday as oil sheen was spotted six miles from Navarre Beach.
Northwest Florida could see scattered patches of sheen or tar balls wash up over the next few days. Santa Rosa County began laying protective booms from west to east, while Okaloosa hauled piles of booms to the shore by the East Pass. Those booms will hit the waterway Friday morning and could become a fixture for months.
Booms will remain in the East Pass for at least 30 days, and probably the duration of the oil spill response, said Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani.
“This is something that’s just gonna become a way of life here for a while until things get under control at the well site,” he said.
Sheen, a reflective, rainbow-colored film of oil, floated closer to local shores in scattered patches. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sighted sheen 6 miles off the new Navarre pier Thursday morning.
The primary plume of oil was 30 miles off Pensacola Thursday, five miles closer than Wednesday. According to a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration oil trajectory map, potential beached oil was forecast for Navarre Beach on Saturday.
Efforts to skim the thin layer of oil from the water were ineffective because the sheen was so light, according to a news release from Santa Rosa County. But sheen is expected to evaporate before it hits the shore; any oiled sand would be swept up.
Okaloosa County Emergency Management Chief Randy McDaniel said the sheen would affect scattered sections of the beach. Affected areas would be cordoned off and cleaned by emergency crews.
“We’re hoping if we do get any impacts, they’ll be small, they’ll be sporadic,” Villani said.
Officials consider the East Pass — the gateway to Choctawhatchee Bay’s bayous and rich wildlife — the most important point to protect. While the waterway will remain open, Villani urges recreational boaters to stay out. He expects mostly commercial fishermen in the pass.
McDaniel said the county will hold off closing bayous during this weekend’s Billy Bowlegs festival but may close them Sunday depending on the threat of oil.
Along the beaches of South Walton, officials are preparing to close off entrances to coastal dune lakes with sand, according to a news release from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. The plan involves moving sand around to protect the lakes, possibly closing off lake inlets. The county is awaiting the state Department of Environmental Protection’s approval.
