A new assessment of the oil spill that coated part of the park’s shoreline and other areas along the Savannah River has raised the estimate of the amount released from 5,000 to 22,000 gallons. The new estimate is based on extensive scientific shoreline assessments conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Approximately two miles of Cockspur Island’s south shoreline along the river’s North Channel was heavily impacted, with some areas of the Spartina and Salicornia vegetation 100% covered with oil. The sun has evaporated the lighter chemicals within the oil and has left a very sticky remainder on the vegetation. Fiddler crabs have been affected in these areas, which has raised concerns for the wildlife that feed on them. The source of the spill has not yet been identified, but the search has been narrowed to a few possible sources. The Coast Guard has detained vessels in New York Harbor, Hampton Roads and as far away as Barcelona, Spain, to take samples from their bilge and ballast tanks and compare them with samples of the spill. Cherry Green, Southeast Region’s wetland ecologist, has been called in for further evaluation of the Spartina and Salicornia vegetation and has made recommendations on immediate actions for the park to take, including keeping the south shoreline closed to public access for the protection of visitors and to ensure that the marsh habitat is not further impacted. Additional recommendations also include intense monitoring of the affected habitat and acquiring low aerial, high resolution photography of the site in order to document vegetative changes. Rick Dawson, regional program manager for damage assessment, was also called. He has contacted the Coast Guard and has been given approval to proceed with a natural resource damage assessment.
