Cleanup operations downsized as bags of tar balls recovered from Bay (with LIVEBLOG and PHOTOS)

Now that BP’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico has been choked off for more than three weeks, Destin residents can expect to see fewer cleanup crews on area beaches.

At Monday night’s City Council Meeting, City Manager Greg Kisela told the council that, as of Friday, cleanup operations on local beaches have been downsized from eight contractors to two. He said everything to the west of East Pass will be cleaned by Eagle SWS, and the remaining beach areas will be cleaned by P2S.

“I think it’s the correct thing for them to do,” Kisela told The Log. “We have to strike the balance between clean beaches, and not intimidating our guests.”

The news came as a Vessel of Opportunity unloaded bags of tar balls found in Choctaw Bay. To see photos of the scene, click here.

To read about the last time oil was found in the bay, click here.

The new beach cleanup plan calls for 17, 35-person “strike teams” to patrol beaches. Additionally, the crews will have access to two mechanical beach cleaners that are staged on the Eglin Air Force Base property.

“The plan is to use the mechanical cleaners at night, and the hand cleaners during the day,” Kisela said.

In addition to discussing changes to the latest cleanup efforts, the council also moved toward acquiring the “Oil Eater” product distributed by Oil Spill Eater International, Corp.

To read more about the Oil Eater, click here.

Although the well has been capped, Kisela said “there is still a lot of product” out there. He said the city wanted the oil-eating enzyme on hand “just in case we see some heavier product” wash up on the sand.

While he appeared skeptical during the OSEII product demonstration at City Hall last week, Kisela said the product may have an application for some of “our environmentally sensitive areas” and could help with staining on the sand.

“Unfortunately, a lot of what is going to happen depends on the currents and the weather,” Kisela said. “We are going to be dealing with tar balls for years.”

While he didn’t advocate for the city to spend any money on the product, City Councilman Dewey Destin, who has been a vocal leader for obtaining the OSEII product, told the council Monday night that he doesn’t want to wait until the last minute to get something done — especially since a hurricane could force oil on the beaches.

“We all hope the worst part of this disaster is over,” he said. “I would like to have something that we can use in the harbor, and within the corporate limits.”

To read the play-by-play from the meeting, click here.

The council also voted unanimously to enter into a joint agreement with Okaloosa County, and develop a long-range beach erosion control plan. The plan will be submitted to the DEP for potential funding.

By submitting the long-range plan, the city of Destin is requesting a state share of construction costs over the next 10 years for the beach restoration project from Holiday Isle to the western boundary of Henderson Beach State Park. The plan would also include continued monitoring of Destin shoreline and the stabilization of Norriego Point.

“The funding for the section between the current western Destin project is not essential, since it will be funded by bed taxes and MSBU taxes,” Kisela said. “It would be very helpful for Norieggo Point and if we plan to do anything else.”