Thread: Perdido Pass dredging?

???
Anybody seen or heard anything about this?
Apparently the dredge hit a pocket of oily residue and it stunk the pass up! :angry:

http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/ar...9bb2963f4.html

Posted: Saturday, May 5, 2012 11:24 am | Updated: 12:41 pm, Sat May 5, 2012.

Dredge in Orange Beach working in Perdido Pass hits submerged oil matt BY JOHN MULLEN theislander@gulfcoastnewspapers.com GulfCoastNewsToday.com

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – A dredge contractor working for the Army Corps of Engineers hit a submerged oil matt Saturday morning causing a strong odor and oily sheen in the area of Outcast Marina, a city official said.

“Apparently about 5 o’clock the Corps became aware, the dredge contractor and the Corps site superintendent became aware that they hit what appears to be, or dug into what appears to be a submerged oil matt that’s been covered for some time,” Coastal Resources Manager Phillip West said Saturday morning. “From what I understand they immediately moved off that site but they uncovered up with seems to be a good amount of oil. I don’t know how to quantify it.”

West said city officials have taken samples to be tested to find the origin of the oil.

Problems with tar matts are something (Phillip) West has been anticipating. Several are believed to be off the beaches of both Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.

“I hate to say it but it was bound to happen,” West said. This is not, in my opinion a big surprise. We intuitively have felt that there was tar trapped inside the pass and that’s where you get tar balls. You’ve got to get them from somewhere.

There is oil still out there in these mats. There is also other natural processes that will cause these kinds of things. However, now if anything happens along the coast it is imediately attributed to the oil spill.

If you dig at the beach you find the oil and tar residue from the spill. BP should be fronting the bill for clean up no worries.

I didn't realize there was a dredge working in the pass, haven't seen any signs of dredging. I guess it's good they found the mat so BP can clean it up.

They started dredging about a week ago.

They already have poles up for the fence-off incoming.

I am glad we caught our ladyfishes for the season prior to them hitting the oil mat. We were already on the pier by the time this happened.

[quote author=Viking Guy link=topic=1060.msg10312#msg10312 date=1336372748]
They started dredging about a week ago.

They already have poles up for the fence-off incoming.
...[/quote]

??? Whazat mean?

[quote author=Pier#r link=topic=1060.msg10317#msg10317 date=1336392717]
[quote author=Viking Guy link=topic=1060.msg10312#msg10312 date=1336372748]
They started dredging about a week ago.

They already have poles up for the fence-off incoming.
...[/quote]

??? Whazat mean?
[/quote]


According to a dredge worker, the poles are being erected so they can fence off the wall. He said the fence may be up until october.

WTF?!
How much?
They've never done that before except when working on the wall itself a few years back.
I can see them blocking off a section of it for the boat access.

Dang! the pass is one of our favs especially for night fishing! Its lit up and the kids can run around with out ending up in the drink. I wonder if this has to do with the erosion problem under the bridge with sand escaping under the wall? Any one been there recently who can report?

I have heard through the grape vine that bids went out to replace the seawall. This could be the start of that work.