By CATHERINE DONNELLY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
Many islandgoers have been busy scrubbing tar off from their clothing, belongings or feet and even the hair on swimmer’s legs. Beachgoers have been reporting having difficulty avoiding tar balls that are scattered along the shoreline.
No matter what is on social media, Cameron County’s Texas A&M Marine Extension Agent Tony Reisinger, expert on the matter, assures everyone that these tar balls are not the result of a crude oil spill but are a natural occurrence as oil floats up from the Gulf floor and is carried in on the tides. Just as there is a season when we get beautiful creatures like by-the-wind-sailors coming in on the winds and tides, the tide will also present us with ugly, sticky tar balls. Luckily, they’re not a health hazard.
“Oil is lighter than water, so it rises to the surface,” says Reisinger. “It’s coming off the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico pretty much all the time. Then the temperature, the rolling action of the waves and bacteria work on the oils to form the tar balls of various sizes that wash ashore on the currents mostly in late spring and summer.:
To remove tar from clothing, WD-40 is recommended (though might ruin some clothing). For tar stuck to the skin, baby oil, dish soap, or cooking oil all work well.
The Texas General Land Office’s Oil Spill Division and the US Coast Guard are aware of the situation and are monitoring it. SPI’s Shoreline Department and other City entities are working closely alongside them, according to a press release from the Shoreline Department.
Tar ball sightings can be reported to the GLO’s Spill Division at 1-800-832-8224.
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