FAIRHOPE, Ala. — It’s not the final solution to the problem, but there was a small sigh of relief Sunday when a second attempt to insert a tube into a riser pipe nearly a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico was successful. The first try failed when the pipe was bumped by a remote-control submersible being used to carry out the operation.

The riser pipe was damaged when the Deepwater Horizon platform sank in the Gulf last month. Kent Wells, a senior executive vice president of British Petroleum (BP), said oil from the 21-inch riser pipe is now flowing into the 4-inch-wide insertion tube.

This is only a temporary fix. The ultimate goal the company is aiming for is to seal off the well permanently, using drilling mud and cement. The procedure, dubbed “top kill,” is expected to be attempted sometime next week.

BP officials claim the current operation is now routing more than 1,000 barrels of light sweet crude to the surface each day through the insertion tube that delivers it to the Discoverer Enterprise, a ship carrying equipment designed to separate the oil and water.

Meanwhile NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco disputes reports of crude oil lurking in the water column beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and urges Gulf Coast residents and public officials to wait until all the facts are in.

Some scientists have said they discovered widespread plumes of oil in deep waters , including one at least 10 miles long, three miles wide and 300 feet thick.

In a statement issued by the agency, Lubchenco said, “Media reports related to the research work conducted aboard the R/V Pelican included information that was misleading, premature and, in some cases, inaccurate.”

Lubchenco went on to list three points she said came from independent scientists:

•No definitive conclusions have been reached by this research team about the composition of the undersea layers they discovered. Characterization of these layers will require analysis of samples and calibration of key instruments. The hypothesis that the layers consist of oil remains to be verified.

•While oxygen levels detected in the layers were somewhat below normal, they are not low enough to be a source of concern at this time.

•Although their initial interest in searching for subsurface oil was motivated by consideration of subsurface use of dispersants, there is no information to connect use of dispersants to the subsurface layers they discovered.

Lubchenco said NOAA awaits results from analyses conducted by the Pelican, and the agency will continue to work closely with the EPA and the federal response team to monitor the presence of oil and the use of surface and subsurface dispersants.

Around 6.6 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered, and roughly 625,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed (580,000 on the surface and 45,000 subsea). More than 390,000 gallons are available.

At least 17,000 individuals are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife. More than 750 vessels are responding onsite, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts, in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.

Help available

Small businesses along the coast impacted by the oil spill can now apply for assistance in Baldwin County. The Small Business Administration (SBA) opened a center Tuesday in the Harry Roberts Community Center, 300 E. 16th. St. in Gulf Shores.

SBA disaster loans are available to qualified businesses and nonprofit organizations in Baldwin, Mobile, Clarke, Escambia, Monroe and Washington counties. Gov. Bob Riley requested and the SBA approved the Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration.

“BP is the responsible party for this disaster and we continue to encourage Alabama businesses that have suffered economic loss due to the oil spill to file claims with BP,” Riley stated in a press release announcing the program. “However, help from the Small Business Administration is available and is a tool that employers who have been hurt by the oil spill may want to use.”

Businesses that want to file a claim with BP can call (800) 440-0858, or file at a claims office at 1506 N. McKenzie St. in Foley.

The Gulf Shores center began taking applications Tuesday, and it will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. They are open for one Saturday only, May 23, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. English is the primary language spoken at the center, although there are some employees capable of speaking Spanish.

Eastern Shore update

Along the Eastern Shore, Fairhope city officials remain in contact with Unified Command in Mobile, as well as all oversight agencies involved in response to this incident, according to Ken Eslava, assistant public works director and the city’s point man in the response to the oil spill.

Booming efforts will continue to be executed from Pier Street base of operations, Eslava said. An additional 1,500 feet of boom was delivered Monday afternoon while BP’s contracting crews were in Haz-Mat training.

In Daphne, the city’s Emergency Management Coordinator Chip Martin said that the booms local residents have seen in the water recently have been placed near five sites in Daphne that were identified in the Area Contingency Plan (ACP) put together by federal and local authorities.

The booms have been “wet staged,” that is placed in the water, to speed their deployment in the event the oil spill moves closer to land. Martin said there is no immediate threat to Daphne, but officials are examining what resources the Daphne City Council could add, in coordination with the broader effort, should the need arise.

More than 1.3 million feet of containment boom and 400,000 feet of sorbent boom have been deployed along the entire Gulf Coast to contain the spill, and around 360,000 feet of containment boom and 750,000 feet of sorbent boom are now available.

On Monday night, Martin informed the Daphne City Council that the city would be receiving $500,000 from the initial payment from BP to municipalities impacted by the spill.

Spanish Fort Mayor Joe Bonner said the information that began flowing more freely from state and BP officials last week has helped alleviate a little anxiety and paint a clearer picture of what the city can expect in terms of a coordinated response to any ill effects from the advancing oil spill.

“Quite naturally, there was a lot of talk last week about everything that was going on with the spread of the oil and its expected impact on Mobile Bay and portions of Baldwin County,” Bonner said, noting his calendar for the past 10 days has been full of meetings and phone calls with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, State Rep. Jo Bonner, the city of Daphne, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency.

“It was a good week for them to sit down and tell us what they’ve been doing and why they’ve been doing it,” Bonner said.

Specifically, Bonner said the city is awaiting the results of flow testing on the 12- to 18-inch boom staged in and around the Blakeley, Apalachee and Tensaw Rivers, portions of which appear to have been compromised once currents rise above 0.7 knots.

“(Officials) tell us that once the current get over 0.7 knots, the booms don’t function right, and they have discovered some of those flows have exceeded that,” Bonner said, expecting a full report on the situation by midday Tuesday. “We have discovered certain areas, such as the along the Tensaw River, where booms came undone.”

Bonner said he is pleased to see BP’s focus shift away slightly from the immediacy of the oil leak and first tier locales in the oil’s path to second- and third-tier locations such as Spanish Fort that continue to brace for impact further inland.

“Hopefully, we’ll know Tuesday about whether or not the booms will hold and achieve their purpose, but it is my understanding that the state of Alabama and the governor’s office will have us boomed if we need it,” Bonner said.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Marine Resources Division has released a 24-hour hotline number, (251) 476-1256, for boaters and the public to call to report sightings of boom theft or vandalism along our coast. The number should be used to inform officials of any damaged, vandalized, drifting or stolen boom spotted.

The move to provide the resource comes as reports of boaters driving and cutting through boom have rolled in.

Thousands of feet of bright orange boom have been placed near the shore to protect vital resources and waterways. Officials are also concerned that broken or loose boom materials pose a navigational hazard to the boaters and commercial shipping traffic.

“Cutting or vandalizing the booms can expose sensitive areas to environmental harm,” stated Maj. Chris Blankenship, chief enforcement officer with the Department of Conservation. “Anyone caught destroying, disturbing or stealing boom will be prosecuted,” he added.

Staff writers Kelli M. Dugan and Simon Duffy contributed to this report.