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Tag: Port Manatee oil spill

Coast Guard suspends investigation into oil spill

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Featured, Outdoors.

PALMETTO – Following testing of multiple potential sources, and with no responsible party identified, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its investigation on Sept. 26 into the source of an oil spill at SeaPort Manatee, pending any new information.

The spill was reported by SeaPort Manatee on Sept. 1, launching the Coast Guard’s examination of facilities and ships for evidence of an improper oil discharge.

“A forensic analysis of oil samples from approximately 30 sources, including the spill itself, and subsurface dive assessment of the port seawalls and basin for any irregularities was conducted. Despite an exhaustive effort, a definitive source for the spilled material was not identified,” according to a press release from U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.

By Sept. 12, the spill was 99% cleaned, with the remaining oil residue cleaned by Sept. 21. Approximately 20,500 gallons of oil/water mixture and 6.4 tons of oily debris were removed from the site.

“I am pleased that we were able to quickly isolate the spilled material within the port to mitigate impacts to the environment while enabling a focused response and rapid clean-up,” U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Commander Capt. Michael Kahle said. “Our investigators worked tirelessly in search of the spill source and the responsible party.”

Coast Guard environmental response specialists leveraged the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) to clean up the spill.

“The emergency fund of the OSLTF is used for federal on-scene coordinators to respond to discharges and for federal trustees to initiate natural resource damage assessments,” according to the U.S. Coast Guard website. “The emergency fund is a recurring $50 million available to the president annually.”

Approximately $1.17 million from the fund was spent for cleanup and investigation efforts.

“As part of SeaPort Manatee’s ongoing port inspection efforts, port team members were among the first to notice a visible discoloration within the basin, and immediately notified the National Response Center,” according to a press release sent by SeaPort Manatee Director of Communications and Public Relations Virginia Zimmerman. “The U.S. Coast Guard’s prompt response in deploying boom and initiating its cleanup process has resulted in the complete removal of the material at the port. An endangered species analysis of the area conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that no fish or wildlife had been affected.”

“On behalf of the Manatee County Port Authority, I wish to express my appreciation to the U.S. Coast Guard for its tireless efforts in cleaning up and investigating the recent event at the port,” Port Authority Chairman James Satcher said. “While it is disappointing that the investigation could not pinpoint the origin of the material, we are reassured in our proactive response efforts and pleased to learn that it was not identified as coming from a SeaPort Manatee-related source.”

“If anyone has information regarding this spill, please report it to the Sector St. Petersburg command center at 866-881-1392,” Kahle said. “We ask anyone who sees oil or hazardous materials pollution that may impact the water to immediately report it to the National Response Center at 800-424-8802.”

Investigation continues into SeaPort Manatee oil spill

Investigation continues into SeaPort Manatee oil spill

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge eroded the Island’s renourished beaches, but the full extent of the damage and when it will be repaired is not yet known.

“It could be months before any decision on what efforts will be undertaken is made,” Manatee County spokesman Bill Logan said in a Sept. 8 email to The Sun.

The first step of the process – evaluation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – has been completed.

“Jacksonville District completed preliminary damage assessments of all federal shore protection projects Sept. 1-3,” according to David Ruderman of the USACE Jacksonville Corporate Communications Office.

“Non-federal sponsors of federally authorized and constructed coastal storm risk management projects which sustained damages resulting from Hurricane Idalia have until Oct. 1 to apply for rehabilitation assistance under Public Law 84-99,” Ruderman said in an email to The Sun.

As of Sept. 15, Ruderman said requests have been received from Manatee and Pinellas counties.

During the Aug. 29 hurricane, storm surge reached 3-4 feet in coastal areas in Manatee County.

“This is the beginning of what I am told is a long process whereby the beaches are hand-measured, staked-out and surveyed for damage estimates from the storm and what measures may be needed to renourish any impacted areas,” Logan said in the Sept. 8 email.

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) Director Dr. Dave Tomasko evaluated the impact from Hurricane Idalia on the SBEP website.

“With Idalia, even though it was about 100 miles offshore, we were on its strong side, and thus we got the storm surge, even though we mostly experienced just tropical storm level winds,” he wrote. “This storm surge came a few hours before the peak of the full moon high tides.”

Water levels were retreating as the tide was coming up, Tomasko wrote.

“So, the dreaded ‘high tide on top of a storm surge’ did not happen,” Tomasko wrote. “That is lucky, because that could have added another foot or two. Still, water levels were about 3’ higher than they would have been otherwise.”

The last major beach renourishment locally was the 2021 Coquina Beach Storm Damage Restoration project, which placed approximately 74,805 cubic yards of sand at Coquina Beach.

“Beach renourishment projects not only provide recreational beach width for the benefit of residents and visitors, but during storm events, the sand also provides critical protection for structures and infrastructure landward of the beach. In addition, the beach provides critical habitat and nesting areas for protected species such as sea turtles and shorebirds,” according to Manatee County’s website.

Since 1992, Manatee County has participated in eight beach nourishment projects.

Approximately 6.9 million cubic yards of sand from offshore borrow areas have been placed as a result of the county’s and USACE’s beach preservation efforts.