SATURDAY UPDATE: Tugboats are key in Okaloosa's new oil plan as Health Department adjusts strategy

10:30 a.m.: Morning patrols declared an "all clear" for East Pass Saturday. The main reports focused on portions of boom being underwater.

There were early morning reports of dime- to pea-sized tar ball at West Destin beaches. On the east side shores, some oil-covered debris washed up.

At Crystal Beach, a State Emergency Response Team member reported that the "low lying area where tidal pools have been forming and oil tar balls collecting is still being raked over by the "Sandman", tractor with beach rake." Earlier reports indicated that contractors have been told not to cover over tar balls.

On Friday, crews cleared Henderson Beach of tar balls. A skimmer captain reported no oil activity offshore Destin, but said he would continue patrols through the weekend.

The story continues.

DESTIN — Local beaches remained relatively free of tar balls and oil on Friday, but Okaloosa County has a new plan to prevent oil from entering East Pass and to clean it up if it does.

County officials had initially developed a plan to use barges to help keep oil from entering East Pass. However, the barges were too static and hard to maneuver near the pass, which has a stronger current and can be more difficult to navigate than other passes.

Okaloosa County officials on Friday tested a system in which two tug boats were used to pull a custom-made oil-absorbent boom and an 18-inch skirt to help collect any oil. A small skimmer boat will be used inside the boom to collect the oil.

“I was very, very pleased with the demonstration (Friday) morning,” said Dino Villani, Okaloosa County’s public safety director. “It looked very impressive and it looks like it will be very effective, especially the fact that you can move it around. It’s pretty agile. This is something that we’ve got immediately and we’ll be using.”

MORE PHOTOS

To see photos of sludge washing up in Pensacola today, click here.

See photos from the demonstration, click here.

See photos of Walton County draining the overflowing dune lakes, click here.

To see the Friday scene on Okaloosa Island and Navarre beaches, click here.

The tug boats and skimmer will be staged in Destin so they can be deployed immediately if there is an imminent threat of oil getting through East Pass. While the tug boat plan will be implemented to keep oil out of East Pass, it also could be used to contain and pick up the oil if it goes into Choctawhatchee Bay, Villani said.

Okaloosa County is also working with the state and BP to develop a static ocean boom to keep the oil away from shore. The county is trying to get permits for the ocean boom and hopes to deploy them late next week.

“All these measures working together I think are going to give us some really good protection,” Villani said.

Okaloosa County has received commitments from BP that they will be reimbursed for the money the county is spending to protect its beaches and waterways, including the latest plans of using tug boats and static ocean boom. However, BP has not yet made payments to the county on any of the claims that have been submitted.

“We haven’t gotten anything from BP yet. We still haven’t gotten any money,” Villani said. “That’s an issue. That just makes it tougher on us, but we’re not stopping.”

Also on Friday, the Okaloosa County Health Department officially changed its warning policy related to the oil spill. Instead of issuing health advisories when beaches or Gulf waters have been affected by the spill and rescinding them once the oil has been cleaned up or moved on, the health department started posting oil impact notices at public beach accesses and lifeguard stands Friday.

“We felt the issuing and rescinding of heath advisories was not of particular use to the public in protecting their health,” said Dr. Karen Chapman, director of the Okaloosa County Health Department. “This is to let people know these are oil-impacted beaches and to alert them and notice them of what oil products are and what they can do to avoid potential health risk.”

Health department employees placed temporary stickers over the health advisory signs on Friday. The new, more permanent metal signs are expected to be installed at the end of next week.

The new impact notices warn the public that oil has in the past or could at any time wash up on the beach or be present in the water. Beachgoers are encouraged ask lifeguards on duty about the condition of the water before going in.

The health department also will keep its website updated regularly with information related to the spill and what the public should do at healthyokaloosa.com.

“This is not a no swimming prohibition; this does not close the water; this does not close the beaches,” Chapman said. “The Florida Department of Health does not have authority to do that and what we do is put people on notice of what they need to be aware of, so they can make their own personal decision.”