Oil Spills and the US
Not just a Gulf of Mexico problem.
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Team members of a contracted oil spill response organization cleaned oily debris from Rehoboth Beach in Delaware as part of the Broadkill 2020 oil spill response, Oct. 26, 2020. The Coast Guard and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are working together to identify areas where tar balls and oily debris are making landfall to aid an effective cleanup.
Oil debris began washing ashore in Rehoboth Beach, DE and the cleanup has now extended to Ocean City, MD which is approximately 27.4 miles.
Investigators are still trying to find the source of the spill. They say the oil that is washing ashore now is likely part of the same spill.
According to a local news release:
The Coast Guard has sent samples of the oil to be analyzed by its Marine Safety Laboratory for a “petroleum fingerprint” that might help determine the source of the spill. If a source is identified, the responsible party would be required to reimburse the federal government for the cleanup operation.
More than 100 workers have cleaned up 65 tons of oily debris and sand along Delaware beaches thus far.
