St. Mary ready to place coastal boom around parish coastline

When BP gives the nod, St. Mary’s Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security director Duval Arthur will give the order to place hard and soft boom in 26 strategic places around parish’s coast, in the event that the oil spill threatens the area.

However, state Rep. Sam Jones said he’s dumbfounded as to why the boom isn’t already in place.

“It sickens me that Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a State of Emergency, and we still do not have clearance from BP to enact our plan,” he said Monday.

Jones said the parish’s emergency response plan was forwarded to the governor’s office nearly 10 days ago. “It’s been almost three weeks since the rig explosion, and we still aren’t allowed to perform any kind of action on our plan,” he said.

The St. Mary lawmaker expressed disappointment that all coastal operations have been turned over to BP and the Coast Guard.

“I thought the Coast Guard and BP were supposed to handle the spill three miles out; we’re supposed to take it from there,” he said, noting the coastline battle would be fought by parish governments. “In either event, we can’t just keep sitting around.”

For Arthur, the greatest concern is the region below Morgan City, which is situated a mere 23 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

“St. Mary Parish Government is well aware of the size and cost of this event,” he said. “BP has assured us they will incur the debt on this.”

The damage, however, could be long lasting. Arthur said he worries about a number of waterways that abut the Terrebonne Parish-side of the Atchafalaya River – Oyster, Creole and Palmetto bayous and Halter Island Pass – as well as the barrier islands on the St. Mary-side of the river.

“These are great fishing areas,” Arthur continued. “They are also oyster seed grounds and bird rookeries – major assets for our parish and the state.”

News to date has been cautionary for fishermen. “There is no shrimping – anywhere,” Arthur said. “Crawfishing should be unaffected. And fishing will be permitted, but we’re asking the public not to mess with our boom, which should be in position.”

Recreation areas also present a concern, the director said. Of special interest is the Burns Point recreation area, which is located below Centerville, and Horseshoe Bayou.

Boom situated off Jaws Pass, which protects the Intracoastal Waterway leading into Franklin Canal, should buffer Franklin’s shoreline from oil should the leak reach the area, Arthur said.

However, he said, “if the oil were to get into the Intracoastal, we will have a major fight on our hands. It would close our bayous indefinitely.”

Concerns that oil seepage could harm the parish’s drinking water are unfounded, Arthur said.

St. Mary draws water from the Atchafalaya River and because the current that empties the waterway into the Gulf of Mexico is so strong at present, he said, “There is no way any oil can flow up against it.”

Berwick, Bayou Vista and Patterson draw water from Bayou Teche, which is guarded at each end by locks.

Arthur said Four Corners and Baldwin residents’ water is supplied by a well, while Centerville’s water comes from Six-Mile Lake.