Crude oil continues to wash ashore along the Gulf of Mexico coast a year after BP Plc (BP/) stopped the flow from its damaged Macondo well, which caused the worst U.S. offshore spill, government officials said.
About 491 miles (790 kilometers) of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were contaminated by BP oil as of July 9, the last available tally from field inspections, Tim Zink, a spokesman for the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, said in an e-mailed message. A total of 1,074 miles has been oiled since the spill began, he said.
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The latest survey in Louisiana by the agency found 5 miles of beaches and 8 miles of marsh heavily oiled, according to results provided by Zink. The July survey by the oceanic agency covered almost 4,300 miles of shoreline in the four states.
Submerged mats of congealed oil, often resembling a mousse, are a source of the tar balls, Hein said. The areas with the most oil are Louisiana coastal marshes, she said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-15/bp-oil-still-washing-ashore-one-year-after-end-of-gulf-spill.html