Cleanup resumed at the site of the blown-out BP well Saturday after threats of a tropical storm system delayed crews for three days.
Though Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled out before it even reached the Louisiana coast, officials say that with peak hurricane season beginning early August, this storm is
the first of many brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.
"We're going to be playing a cat-and-mouse game for the remainder of the hurricane season," said retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, head of the federal response to the spill. The Gulf has seen approximately five tropical cyclones each hurricane season over the last decade.
The fleet of response ships headed back to the well area and a race against time began as crews worked to permanently seal the bottom of the damaged well with heavy mud and cement. Allen said that getting back to the site and reconnecting to the drill pipe would take the first relief rig 24 to 36 hours. After plugging the well, steel casing must be laid and cemented in the main relief well before BP can conduct a “static kill.”
This procedure to plug the top of the original well will aid in the final cementing of the well bottom. The fix is scheduled to be completed in mid-August.
The leak is currently sealed with a containment cap stopping the flow of oil and while this week’s fine weather forecast may not last, officials say they are confident the temporary plug will. In fact, the cap remained closed during the evacuation and crews were able to monitor the spill through two real-time cameras that never stopped rolling.
Scientists say the ocean turbulence from the storm may actually help the cleanup efforts by dispersing surface slicks and tar patches from the spill. The rough seas could also drive some oil into the marshes and bayous.
"I think the bottom line is, it's better than it might have been," said Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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