Tar balls washing ashore on Daytona Beach

[Large Sarge]

http://www.wftv.com/countybycounty/24173421/detail.html

Tests are still being run to find out if tar balls found in Central Florida are from the Deep Water Horizon spill. They started washing ashore in Brevard County on Tuesday and a few tar balls were reported Wednesday in Ormond Beach. …

The Coast Guard and contracted clean up crews swept across Brevard County’s central beaches looking for more tar balls Wednesday. The sight surprised people catching waves in Cape Canaveral.

“I love the water. My kids love the water, you know. It’s a shame, it really is,” said Ken Mason, Jetty Park visitor.

In the latest case, the gobs of goo started washing ashore Tuesday, dotting the coastline for about ten blocks on the southern end of Cocoa Beach. Not only are crews looking for and cleaning up any remaining tar, they have sent out shoreline assessment teams further north and south to examine the beaches.


Oil Sheen in Ormond Beach, FL? (XDR Fox)

“We treat this like any other oil spill we would respond to. We’re going to take the samples, send them to our lab, they are going to fingerprint them and they can compare them to any samples we have,” said Chief Beau Vallier, U.S. Coast Guard.

WFTV checked several locations Wednesday and could not find any tar left on the beaches in Brevard County, but they are now rolling in on Ormond Beach.

[the riot act]

I live in south fla, and tarballs have been washing ashore for the last 40 years that I know of. If this whole freakout didn't exist this would have never been reported. With all the leaky coastal freighters that we have running up and down the coast there are bound to be tarballs on the beach.

These TV and Interweb excitement mongers need to get the proof first before publishing speculation.

Not saying that they are wrong, but they admit themselves that is spec.


“We treat this like any other oil spill we would respond to. We’re going to take the samples, send them to our lab, they are going to fingerprint them and they can compare them to any samples we have,” said Chief Beau Vallier, U.S. Coast Guard.

WFTV checked several locations Wednesday and could not find any tar left on the beaches in Brevard County, but they are now rolling in on Ormond Beach.

Of course that is the last line in the paragraph of a "fearmonger article".

Stop eating the food in the supermarket. That will kill you quicker than a tar ball.

Just saying.