As a public service, the Unified Command is issuing bulletins twice a day -- at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. -- to provide updates on the oil spill that occurred on July 5 in Narragansett Bay, south of Prudence Island. A Command Center has been established at Pier 2, Coddington Cove, Middletown.

Key phone numbers for obtaining oil spill information and submitting reports are as follows:

The primary impact area is the shoreline and adjacent waters along the west side of Aquidneck Island, from Carr Point in Portsmouth south to Coddington Cove in Middletown. Yesterday small concentrations of, pea size, tar balls have also been observed inside Newport Harbor and south of Fort Adams State Park. Recovery operations -- involving more than 85 personnel hired by Penn Maritime are using absorbent material and vacuum trucks along the shoreline -- are underway for the fourth day and will continue until the clean-up is complete.

Approximately 8,500 gallons of decanted oil have been recovered so far, as well as more than 50 cubic yards of oil soaked absorbants. A very large quantity of bagged absorbants are on the beach awaiting loading, today. The barge was temporarily patched on July 6, moved to Brayton Point where its cargo was unloaded, and has departed Narragansett Bay to New York for repairs. Approximately 140 personnel are actively engaged in cleanup and recovery operations.

Effects of Spill on Fishing, Boating and Swimming: In response to the spill, RI DEM originally closed approximately 4,000 acres of Narragansett Bay in the vicinity of the spill to fishing and shellfishing. However, inspection yesterday by representatives of the RI Dept. of Health and DEM, supported by water quality modeling, allowed the reopening of 1/2 of the closed fishing grounds (see linked chart, hit refresh to ensure up-to-date map). The closure will remain in effect until further notice and the DEM Environmental Police are actively patrolling the closure area.

The fishing industry has been advised of closure procedures and has been involved in the process of re-opening. The Responsible Party met with representatives of the fishing industry to coordinate the claims process. All other areas of the bay that are traditionally open to fishing and shellfishing remain open.

There are no spill-related bans in effect with regard to swimming in Narragansett Bay. But, in anticipation of increased boating activity over the weekend, the Coast Guard has established a safety zone 500 yards off shore from the Coddington Cove breakwater to the Midway Pier. All public beaches are open. Swimmers should be advised that they may encounter tar balls in portions of lower Narragansett Bay; in low concentrations, these are not considered hazardous, yet they should be avoided.

Status of Assessment Activities: The Unified Command conducts frequent overflights and shoreline assessments to gauge the extent of oiling and the progress of cleanups. These surveys document the extent of oiling and are used to formulate the next stage of clean-up priorities.

The DEM has iniated the process of evaluating the conditions in the spill area by instituting an extensive water quality sampling program. Samples were taken on Tuesday and Friday. The Friday samples included both water and sediment samples and visual inspections revealed no evidence of oil. The samples were sent for analysis and the results of the testing should be available within the next several days. In addition, the Department has implemented an evaluation program to characterize the extent of the natural resource damages. Teams of marine biologists are systematically sampling the affected area, counting and measuring any organisms they find using a statistically valid sampling protocol.

To date, five (5) swans have died as a result of the spill. An additional twenty-eight (28) oiled Canada geese have been recovered. Efforts are underway to rehabilitate the animals at the Tri-state Bird Rescue facility in Deleware. Federal and State wildlife officials have agreed to permit the geese to be released in that state once they are fully recovered. Wildlife rescue efforts and the natural resource damage assessment process will continue through the next several weeks.