Gulf Oil Spill, by the Numbers

(CBS)  Last Updated May 25 at 6:36 p.m. ET

The estimate of crude oil being spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from the well head of the destroyed BP drilling platform Deepwater Horizon was revised upwards. Already experts are suggesting this may become the worst environmental disaster to hit the U.S. since the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, and it may eclipse even that.

The pollution could endanger Florida's shoreline mangroves, seagrass beds and the third-longest barrier reef in the world, the 221-mile-long Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which helps draw millions of snorkelers, fishermen and other tourists whose dollars are vital to the state's economy.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf
Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Wildlife
Gulf Oil Spill Containment Efforts
Louisiana Oil Rig Explosion

A glance at key statistics from the spill as of Tuesday, May 25:

• BP's original estimate of 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) a day spilling into the Gulf has been challenged by independent scientists. The live broadcast of oil gushing into the Gulf caused scientists to change their predictions May 21.

Tim Crone of Columbia University says he was saddened because he hoped the video would show his estimate of 840,000 to 4.2 million gallons a day was wrong, but it didn't.

He upped the lower bounds of his estimates to 1.68 million gallons and is sticking with his upper estimate for the main leak from the well that blew out after a rig explosion.

Purdue University professor Steve Wereley says he'll likely cut his 3.9 million gallons a day estimate after BP said half of what's coming out of the pipe is gas, not oil.

• BP said May 24 that it collected about 256,200 gallons that day from the mile-long tube drawing oil well to a ship on the surface. The collections were further evidence that a previous estimate of the underwater spill is too low. Federal officials and BP have said that at least 210,000 gallons a day were gushing from the blown-out well. But the May 24 total was well above that amount and live video from the wellhead showed that some oil was still escaping.

• Total amount spilling into the Gulf: at least 7 million gallons (based on BP's estimate of 210,000 gallons a day)

• Amount BP says it has spent on the spill thus far: about $760 million.

• Miles of shoreline affected: 150 miles, from Dauphin Island, Ala., to Grand Isle, La.

• The government shut down an area of the Gulf for fishing. The area measures 46,000 square miles, or about 19 percent of federal waters.

• Total response vessels: 627

• Boom deployed: More than 1.65 million feet (regular boom plus sorbent and fire boom)

• Oily water recovered: More than 9 million gallons

• Dispersant used: More than 560,000 gallons. But on Wednesday, May 19, the Environmental Protection Agency informed BP that it had to start using a less toxic form of dispersant, according to a Washington Post report.

• Overall personnel responding: More than 17,500

• Fourteen staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines in Biloxi, Miss.; Pascagoula, Miss.; Pass Christian, Miss.; Amelia, La.; Cocodrie, La.; Grand Isle, La.; Shell Beach, La.; Slidell, La.; Venice, La.; Dauphin Island, Ala.; Orange Beach, Ala.; Theodore, Ala.; Panama City, Fla.; and Pensacola, Fla.

• The U.S. Navy is providing assistance in the areas of skimming and salvage operations, including 16 Modular Skimming Systems deployed to Gulfport, Miss. 1,400 total associated Department of Defense personnel have been deployed in support of spill cleanup and mitigation.

• The U.S. Coast Guard is leading volunteer efforts involving oil cleanup on shore if necessary. Shoreline cleanup volunteers must have training, including hazardous materials training required by OSHA and EPA.

• To report oil on land, call [phone].

• Eleven people were presumed killed in the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig; 115 were evacuated, including 17 who were injured, 3 critically. 1 injured person remains in the hospital.

• The Environmental Protection Agency has begun tracking air quality from the spill, including particulate matter (PM), ozone, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), at Venice and Chalmette, La.; Dauphin Island, Ala.; Gulfport, Miss.; and Pensacola, Fla., and posting results here here.

• More than 400 species of wildlife, including whales and dolphins, face a dire threat from the spill, along with Louisiana's barrier islands and marshlands. In the national refuges most at risk, about 34,000 birds have been counted, including gulls, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, egrets, shore birds, terns and blue herons. Officials say 189 dead sea turtles, birds and other animals have been found along Gulf of Mexico coastlines

Scientists are increasingly worried that huge plumes of crude already spilled could get caught in a current that would carry the mess all the way to the Florida Keys and beyond, damaging coral reefs and killing wildlife.

• To address potential wildlife impacts, BP has contracted with Tri-State Bird and Rescue. If oiled or injured wildlife is spotted, people are urged not to attempt to help the animals but to report them to [phone].

• BP is now accepting claims for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Please call BP's helpline at [phone]. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here (Word doc).

• For updates visit the deepwaterhorizonresponse.com website. There are also facebook.com Facebook and Twitter pages with information.

(AP/CBS/NOAA)

[kelly421]

Oil Spill eater II Summary
US department of Interior study on the Characteristics,
Behavior, & Response Effectiveness of spilled Dielectic Insulating
Oil in the Marine Environment
The US department of Interior through solicitation number: M08PS00094, award number: M09PC002 through their Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and enforcement (BOEMRE) the old minerals management name paid for a study of dielectric oils ability to be dispersed, skimmed and bioremediated.
Page 12 starts the discussion on OSE II, and it states
"Bioremediation Study
This bioremediation effectiveness testing protocol (CFR, 1999) was designed to determine oils ability to naturally biodegrade by quantifying changes in the oil composition resulting from biodegradation.
An EPA National Contingency Plan (NCP) approved product, Oil Spill Eater II (Oil
Spill Eater International, Corp.), was include in the experimental design. Bioremediation testing on Oil Spill Eater II (OSE II) has proven it to be effective at degrading highly-saturated crude oils in the laboratory.

The study shows OSE II is very effective at remediating the dieletric oil. The study has some problems in the way it was carried out limited the complete effectiveness of OSE II. For some reason unneeded nutrients were added to OSE II which increases the toxicity of the test flasks, which in turn slowed down the degradation rate.

The test proved once again how effective OSE II is at remediating oil even dielectric oil. The results showed over a 67% reduction in the oil in 28 days. The reduction was exponential if you account for the slowdown due to the added bacteria, ( see the difference in remediation from day 0 to day 7 and from day 7 to day 28) so even with the adversities caused by the test administrators, it is easy to extrapolate, to understand OSE II would have only needed a few days more for 100% bioremediation of the oil, converting all of it to CO2 and water.
This test also tested dispersants and mechanical skimming of the oil as well. The dispersants, Exxon's corexit 9500 and 9527A respectively showed poor results as the temperature decreased. Once again however dispersants do not clean up oil, it disperses oil into the water column, which is the equivalent of spreading the impact of the oil into the area of the water where 60% of the marine species live, adversely effecting these species ability to survive.
The BP Gulf spill also proved that both corexits eventually sink oil to the seabed increasing the spills impact to an additional area killing these species and destroying their habitats. Then the Gulf spill proved that the sunken/dispersed oil then migrates to the shoreline, impacting yet another area, where the same oil has to be addressed a second time. This is an absolute needless destruction of natural resources, and species, with the use of these toxic dispersants. Both Corexits were also found to be very toxic and deleterious by themselves to marine and wildlife species as well as to seabed, water column and shoreline flora and fauna. The Woods Hole Oceanagraphic institue also discovered that both corexits prevents oil from degrading, which means these dispersants are going to increase the time the oils toxicity will effect the environment.
This study was performed due to the fact a spill could impact the Nantucket sound, Cape cod, and Martha's Vinyard area in the US. The EPA/RRT, federal, state, local governments, and residents now have a choice, mechanical skimming, that will only get somewhere between 2 to 8% of the oil, dispersants that increase the oils impact to several additional areas, killing species, and destroying natural resources, only to have to address the same oil once again, once it comes ashore. Or OSE II, the product who's successful testing since 1989, and once again with this study shows OSE II limits the impact of the spill to additional areas, will not harm species, and converts 100% of the oil to CO 2 and water eliminating any additional steps, while protecting the environment. OSE II is far more economical than mechanical or dispersants. OSE II is simply cheaper, safer, and more effective, at cleaning up 100% of a spill.
This test along with the large number of tests already carried out on OSE II since 1989, proves once again OSE II is very effective at remediating oil and converting oil to CO2 and water. This Department of Interior test, through BOEMRE will now prove there is only one way to effectively clean up a 100% of a spill, preventing secondary impacts of the spill, and eliminating the entire spill to a safe non toxic CO2 and water. This study shows by the choice of NCP products for this test, that the best product tested at LSU in cooperation with the US EPA, and BP, was OSE II so OSE II was the best product tested for the BP gulf spill!

[MNlassy]

why can't they plug it up with giant tampon type stuff?
>as for the sea creatures washing up to shore all yucky< I suffer from a skin disease called psoriasis/ amoung the types of treatments I've endured for it I've used a bath oil type called "ROBATHOL" which I would soak in to remove tar [that was smeared all over my body] I've also used this bath oil to remove "tar" that a puppy had gotten into and it removed the tar with ease/ no pain to the pup. [it also removed many years old tar stains from a favorite pair of jeans I once had][wonderful stuff]

[MNlassy]

>in the same aspect< why can't they conform huge cheese cloths [like fisherman nets] to catch/block the floating oil and sift it out of the water?

[daleaberg]

Crush the Riser Pipe shut, where it lies on the seafloor.

Use the 250,000 lb containment dome, dropped from 10' above the lying riser, as a hammer.

Repeat as Necessary until riser pipe is deformed shut. Crush away from assembly flanges.

This high strength steel pipe will yield shut, not fail, under the impact of the dropped dome.

Add 1" plate steel under the riser pipe as a mandrel, if necessary.

[rank_n_file]

Republican Rand Paul and the Tea Party mentality say Obama and media way to harsh on BP. Their strictly "pro-corp" deregulate mentality is what foist this horrific BP disaster on the public. Big Oil's Republican Friends on Capitol Hill Blocked Oil Spill Liability Increase! Current Maximum Spill Liability a Joke at Only $75 million. Latest BP Spill Disaster Cleanup Estimate Soars To $3 Billion ... and is Rising Rapidly. Do Republicans Really Want U.S. Gov't & Taxpayers To Pay? Someone has to foot the bill - the mess has to be cleaned up. Republicans Are NOT Really Against BIG Gov't Spending When They Say Gov't Must Pay For BP. CONCLUSION - The Tea Party, Rand and Republicans favor "Corporate Welfare," BIG Gov't spending, Higher Taxes to pay for "Corporate Welfare," and absolutely no regulation to protect either the public or the environment from profiteering misanthropes like Wall Street and BP. In short, Republicans envision a Corporatocracy\Theocracy that is fundamentally unfit for human consumption.

[411requinblanc]

What boggles the mind is the blatant, shameful bias the media to downplay this ABSOLUTELY HUGE and monumental environmental DISASTER. This is NOT HOLLYWOOD...the aliens will not be repelled by the good old boys and everyone will go home a better person. NOOOOOO this is going to further ruin the economy, create an environmental disaster that likes have never been seen and further divide this country against itself.
What I want to know is how we are going to feel when the rest of the world finally arms itself with the torches, pitchforks, and farm implements and asks for the head of Frankenstein (Obama and his corporate campaign contributors, and political cronies robbing us to pay for their 'mistakes'). It is unfathomable that EVERYONE in the media is that irresponsible that you people find it more newsworthy to put Lindsay Lohan's new lesbian romance on the front page and push this story and all its CURRENT information into a thumbnail on the back of your pages. You and ABC should feel SHAME, SHAME , SHAME!........People will loose their livelihoods, the environment will be PERMANENTLY ( do you understand this word because lately I have come to wonder if journalists need a NEW DICTIONARY that is more concise and explanatory) and I mean PERMANENTLY DESTROYED........

If you CARE and ARE NOT SORT OF SUBHUMANS that descended from an ALIEN PLANET ....I think it would really be appreciated if you PAID A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION to this EMERGENCY situation.......CNN can cover for days Captain Sully's landing on the Hudson ( not to detract from that), I would think that you could focus a little more on the REAL JOB on HAND. You can pressure the public to vote for you little liberal puppet and his crew of federal pirates but you can't give a damn ABOUT THE REAL COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE.....how sad are you........get on it.

[sorerect]

This will all come down to operator error at the scene and then an on-site supervisor that made the erroneous decision to move forward instead of fixing the problem while they could. The safety features were in place but woefully misused and disregarded. This is story about individual responsibility to "do the right thing".

[010sonny]

Dem. Nelson has it right when he see's that getting full reinversment could be far more difficult than what is being presented. I have a suggestion;Seek a down payment on a continous cost of entitlement as well as an additional cost to go above repaires and damages,in the form of,in this case,have BP. be held responsabile for the installation of [X#er] of windmills with wave activated generators installed along the coast of those that have been effected.Intrastructuers to go from ship to shore for energy dispersion. Micro Wave transference??BP.would be released from their responsabilities when all are satisfied,including voters.

[us_1776]

It is just being reported that Halliburton was conducting final cementing operations and was in charge of the well at the time of the accident.

Also, Halliburton was responsible for another well blowout during cementing operations near Australia last year that produced another huge oil spill.

And I'd be willing to bet Darth has a serious 'short' position on all this.

[dwilson59]

lakota2012

Mark my words with in the next 3 weeks the Gov't will say that the well is capped by the US Gov't. Whatch this go down.

If I am wrong I will buy you a 6 pack.

[dwilson59]

Don't you all see Bush and Obama are in this........ BP is a foreign company working in the US, I bet you Bush and Chaney have no stake in them. They go to Obama and tell him how he can make money the old fashion Bush Way by driving up Oil. Bushes friends will make tons of money off this and Obama will get his cut.

I am happy that Chaney and Obama did it right this time, no cameras around to see the blast of the C-4 planted by CIA Black Opps. Obama will announce in the next three weeks that no Foreign Oil company can drill in the US.