UNIFIED COMMAND
RI Dept of Environment Management
Penn Maritime
The Unified Command will issue its last regularly scheduled bulletin on Friday, July 14th at 11:00 a.m. After that it will only issue a bulletin or press release in the event of any breaking news regarding 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:
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For General Information |
Joint Information Center, Newport |
847-7573 |
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To Report Sightings of Oil |
Command Center, Newport (8 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.) |
847-7573 |
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To Report Wildlife Impacts |
24-hr. DEM Hotline |
222-3070 |
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To File Damage Claims [business losses, property damage] |
Penn Maritime's Claim Office |
401-738-7210 |
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Back-ups to General Information Number |
24 - hour DEM Hotline |
222-3070 |
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Volunteers are no longer being sought |
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Emergency Fisheries Closure Area Map as of 7/12/00 at 12:30 PM (hit your browser's refresh button) |
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Archive of Prior Bulletins (hit your browser's refresh button) |
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Status of Spill and Clean-up: More than 80 personnel hired by Penn Maritime continue to re-float trapped oil for collection with absorbent material, along the shoreline. Recovery operations will continue until the clean up is completed. Approximately 8,500 gallons of decanted oil have been recovered so far. 400 cubic yards of oil soaked absorbents have been containerized.
Effects of Spill on Fishing, Boating and Swimming: Only 180 acres of Narragansett Bay offshore of the oiled shoreline remain closed to fishing and shellfishing. This closure will remain in effect until further notice, following a determination that the cleanup is complete. (see linked chart, hit refresh to ensure up-to-date map). DEM Environmental Police will assist any lobsterman with pots in the remaining closed area to remove their gear. These lobstermen should call the DEM at 222-3070 to arrange an escort. After 3:00 p.m. on Friday, the remaining gear will be hauled, inventoried and stored. All other areas of the bay that are traditionally open to fishing and shellfishing remain open.
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone, which corresponds, exactly, with the remaining closure area.
Swimmers are advised that they might encounter tar balls in portions of lower Narragansett Bay in low concentrations; these should be avoided.
Status of Assessment Activities: Divers from DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife have surveyed eelgrass beds off of Goat, Rose and Gould Islands and have reported no impact to the beds or their attendant marine-life. The Navy and DEM will dive on the eelgrass beds off of McAllister Point today to survey that area. The natural resource damage assessment process will continue through the next several weeks.
One goose was recovered yesterday and was stabilized at the DEM Marine Base in Wickford. A wildlife Volunteer will transport it to the Tri-State facility in Delaware. That raises the number of rescued birds to 41, of which one has died. DEM wildlife biologists will continue to respond to reports of birds in obvious distress.
