Deleware Bay Oil Spill Update

The Unified Command continues to oversee the recovery and clean-up operations of oil spilled in the upper Delaware Bay last Tuesday. Over the weekend, shoreline crews and assessment teams worked to clean up Delaware shorelines affected in Port Mahon, Pickering Beach and Kelly Island as well as Gandy's Beach in New Jersey. State and local officials also worked to identify additional areas impacted by the spill. Shoreline assessment crews today are focusing on areas from Kitts Hummock, DE south to Beach Plumb Island looking for any oil that may have come ashore. Clean-up crews are actively working along the Delaware shoreline at Slaughter Beach, Kitts Hummock and Big Stone. Reports of birds, one Sanderling and four Gulls, were reported to be affected by the spill over the weekend. The total number of birds affected by the spill is 19. Tri-State Bird Rescue is working with observation crews to identify if any more wildlife has been impacted. Preventive boom on New Jersey's rivers will be removed with the exception of the Fortescue and Maurice Rivers. The boom at Fortescue and Maurice will be staged but crews are ready to rapidly re-deploy the boom if necessary. New Jersey's oyster beds remain closed as a precautionary measure. Preventive boom remains in Delaware from the Leipsic River to the Mispillion River. Additional boom is staged for rapid deployment at the Roosevelt Inlet. The cause of the spill is under investigation.