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Countermeasures/ Mitigation

Countermeasures used during this spill were mechanical or manual.  Skimming operations
were used to collect free-floating oil.   Efficiency and effectiveness of skimming
operations were extremely high.  The oil-to-water ratio of retrieved product was estimated
to be as high as 90 percent in many cases.  A major limitation to skimming operations
developed when much of the product was dispersed into widely scattered tarball fields and
was essentially unavailable for retrieval.  Skimming was effective until the oil came
ashore.

Due to a southerly nearshore surface countercurrent, it was thought that transport of oil
refloated during tidal cycles or surf washing might occur and impact sensitive areas south
of St. Petersburg Beach.  Boom was deployed and maintained as a protective measure for
these areas.

Once the oil beached, cleanup consisted of manual removal of the surface oil, mechanical
removal of subsurface oil, and surf washing of stained sand.  Removing sand and washing
surf was done by using heavy equipment such as front-end loaders and graders.  Cleanup
techniques for removing buried oil were developed, tested, and monitored by a Shoreline
Cleanup Technical Committee, with members from NOAA, the RP, the State of Florida, and the
underwriter.  Final grooming of the beaches was accomplished with graders and disking,
normally to a depth of 12 inches.  Care not to disturb nesting sea turtles was emphasized
throughout the cleanup operations.  All beaches were surveyed and inspected by a shoreline
How Clean Is Clean committee consisting of representatives of the RP, USCG, NOAA, and
officials from local and state agencies.  The criteria used to judge beach cleanliness
were visual observations and touch and smell analysis.  To pass inspection, beaches had to
look clean and the sand could not feel oily or have an oily odor.  More elaborate sampling
and laboratory analysis techniques were considered but would be very expensive and
unnecessary. All oiled sand was disposed of in an approved nonhazardous landfill.

Oil in and around mangrove islands was removed by vacuuming.  Areas were left oiled when
it was felt that cleanup methods would cause greater impact than leaving the oil in place.
Some of the submerged oil in very shallow areas was removed using buckets and shovels.
Seagrass beds that received oiling were cleaned by gently lifting oil out of them by hand.
How clean is clean inspections for mangroves, seagrass beds, and other sensitive areas
would be judged on a case-by case basis by the inspection committee.  When the RP felt a
particular area had been cleaned satisfactorily under the guidelines set by the shoreline
cleanup technical team, an inspection determined if the area was in fact clean.