DEP TO WALTON CROWD: Sea life shows no effect from oil spill or cleanup (PHOTOS)

SANTA ROSA BEACH — What you see is what you’ve got.

That was the basic message a Department of Environmental Protection water-quality expert had for a group of Walton County residents Thursday at a meeting to discuss the health of local coastal waters.

To see photos from the oil spill, click here.

For local aerial photos, click here.

Darryl Boudreau told a roomful of concerned residents that any residue from this summer’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill still making its way to Walton County will be visible.

“What we have found through our studies is that the tar balls, tar mats and sheen are the contaminants. If you see product, it is the contaminant. If you don’t see it, if it’s clear water or clean sand, it’s clean.

Boudreau based his comments on 380 water-quality samples taken off Florida’s shores that have indicated no unseen oil residue coming ashore.

Other experts had similar good news about sea life being tested for contamination. All studies have found that fish, oysters and shrimp being tested have shown no signs of oil contamination.

Some residents were still skeptical. They particularly wanted to know about the possible effect of dispersants put on the oil could have on sea life and on humans who eat it the fish and shellfish.

“What is the concern down the road?” one woman asked. “We don’t want to feed this to our kids.”

David Palandro, a scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the gathering that neither the oil spilled by BP nor the dispersants used to attack it remained in fish or other sea life for a lifetime, as mercury does in fish.

Palandro cited 38,000 tests taken by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to dispute calls that not enough testing was being done.

He also told the crowd that the FWC will be conducting tests for a long time, and that he and other experts will be available to discuss the studies and new findings.

Local governments also have their eyes on the future.

Okaloosa County’s Deepwater Horizon Task Force was disbanded some time ago. Public Safety Director Dino Villani has relinquished control of the day-to-day monitoring of the BP cleanup to Public Works Director John Hofstad and Jim Trifilio, the Tourist Development Council’s beach projects manager.

“We’re now seeing a whole different phase,” Villani said. “We’re in the long-term recovery phase.”

Villani said he’s receives occasional reports of tar balls washing up on the beach. The last one he could recall came about a week ago when a handful of tar balls were reported on Okaloosa Island.

Joy Tsubooka, Santa Rosa County’s spokeswoman, said officials still are keeping tabs on the cleanup.

She said weathered oil product is still found on the beach periodically. Rough surf is typically to blame when tar balls or mats either wash up or are uncovered, she said.

“We’re not seeing it every day. It’s definitely weather-driven,” Tsubooka said.