BP is making good its word to extensively clean Gulf beaches after a disastrous oil spill threatened the local economy which is heavily dependent on tourism. The spill occurred after an oil rig explosion in one of BP’s undersea wells led to the deaths of 11 workers and spewed forth millions of gallons of oil.

At the prompting of the area authorities, the company then began a multi-faceted cleaning approach aimed at cleaning oil that had been washed into the beaches by wave action.

The project which began last month on Perdido Key is however raising fresh concerns over more environmental damage during the course of cleaning. Beaches that are normally quiet and beautiful have been transformed to closely resemble a construction site. Bull-dozers and dump trucks are strewn all over as giant sifting machine separates clean sand from tar balls.

A conveying unit lifts sand and dumps it into screens where clean sand is ejected from a machine known as a ‘Sand Shark’ while other form of waste such as tar balls are gathered in a waste container.

Although most residents are happy to see the work going on, some are concerned about the possibility of the petroleum stains spreading due to the use of the heavy machinery. In addition, it is being feared that tiny creatures which live in the sand are going to be largely annihilated.

Fresh tar balls are still hitting the coast and so the work risks being premature. However, the company is working hard to beat the Jan 1 deadline that local officials have given it so as to finish the clean-up. The widely-visited tourist attractions are virtually deserted as this is the low season.

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