Common Sense: An Alabama Community Works to Stop the Oil Spread
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Rease
As scientists, engineers, politicians, and BP executives “work” tirelessly to come up with solutions to impede the flow of toxic oil throughout the gulf, a community in Magnolia Springs, Alabama has come up with their own answer to protect the area they call home. They took an approach that often goes by the wayside these days, common sense, and the result looks promising.
Weeks Bay is an estuary off of Mobile Bay near Magnolia Springs, and is a lifeline for many professionals in the community. It is home to many endangered species including bald eagles and wood storks. For a month now BP officials and the unified command that is charged with handling the oil spill have not been able to come up with an adequate plan to protect Weeks Bay. Their best option so far is to establish a floating barrier called a boom across the bay in order to stop the oil from penetrating. The problem is that any texture on the surface water will cause oil to simply ‘hop’ the barrier and infiltrate the bay. Furthermore, water currents have prevented attempts to install the boom.
Needless to say the community was not happy about the so-called solution, and a man by the name James Hilton came up with a better idea. His plan still involves the use of several booms, but it also intends to anchor several barges together to make a wall of floating steel that will block water currents. The booms then go on the other side of the barges closest to shore to protect against the oil. The Alabama Coastal Foundation, an Alabama environmental group, says the plan is a good one.
Mr. Hilton has the support of the community and local government, and the plan is being put in place despite the risk of arrest for violating federal bureaucracy and red tape.
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