Gulf Shores, Ala – Since the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the United States Coast Guard and BP have worked extensively to recover oil washing ashore in the State of Alabama.   This has been a collective operation between the City of Gulf Shores, Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), USCG, and BP for the areas within the City Limits of Gulf Shores and the Fort Morgan Peninsula.  The City of Gulf Shores is grateful for the cooperation and the effort from each entity involved in this ongoing cleanup process for nearly three years.

In October 2012, the City of Gulf Shores, along with the City of Orange Beach and the State of Alabama started a beach nourishment project to replenish sand lost from previous hurricanes.  During the re-nourishment project period, efforts to clean up oil along Alabama’s Gulf Coast beaches were suspended. The re-nourishment project was recently completed in Gulf Shores and cleanup crews were authorized to resume operations on the City’s beaches.  Currently, crews are monitoring the beaches and cleaning various areas on a daily basis. 

Due to the new configuration of the City’s beaches created by sand re-nourishment and the low amount of oil products being collected, cleanup operations will soon move to a different operational phase within the City limits of Gulf Shores.  In the very near future, cleanup crews will no longer monitor the beaches for oil.  Cleanup crews will only respond to National Response Center (NRC) reports generated by calling 1-800-424-8802.  When an NRC report is filed, the Coast Guard will then take appropriate action.

“We are asking everyone who finds tar balls on our beaches to call the National Response Center,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. “It is imperative that the public understands and engages in the reporting process that has been established to verify reports and activate all cleanup efforts.”

Mayor Craft further said, “By taking an active role and making these reports, you are helping ensure our beach remains one of the most pristine beaches in America.”