Oil Spill Reaches Wildlife Refuges as BP Attempts to Lower Containment Dome

In the late 1950s, there was an execrably bad horror film called ‘The Blob’ that detailed the destruction wrought by a huge, gelatinous, pink-red mass that gobbled up everything in its path. While the movie was laughable, the eerily reminiscent pink foam tendrils of chemically dispersed oil from the recent gulf oil spill reaching the shores of two key Gulf wildlife refuges is anything but funny.

On Thursday, the sticky oil/seawater mixture resulting from the gulf oil spill ran up on the shores of the Chandeleur Islands and New Harbor Island. Scores of dead jellyfish floating close to the mouth of the Mississippi are further testament to the devastating consequences of the oil leak. Once a fertile seafood area, shrimping is now prohibited until further notice.

Meanwhile, BP began on Thursday night to lower its 100-ton concrete and steel containment dome in an attempt to stop the oil leak from further spreading. Barring any number of problems, officials are trying to have the containment device operational by Sunday. It is an ambitious operation that officials fear will not work as it has never been tested in deep water.

Still, everyone is hoping it will work. With the horrible consequences of this spill becoming more and more evident, hope may be the only thing that clean up crews and volunteers can count on without reservation.

image credit: Chronicle