Louisiana - Grand Isle beach closed to public

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Grand Isle beach closed to public

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wwltv.com
Posted on May 21, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Updated today at 2:19 PM

GRAND ISLE, La. -- After spotting oil on the beach, officials have closed the beach to the public in Grand Isle.

"The Town of Grand Isle will close the beach to the public," said Janet Scardino, secretary to the mayor. "Cleanup is beginning as of today, therefore we are asking the public to avoid the beach completely."

Wednesday, the oil was reported 14-miles offshore. Thursday, thick oil ? not sheen, not tar balls -- began washing ashore on Elmer?s Island.

Also waters nearby were closed as well as a precaution.

"Wildlife and fisheries has closed state waters off of Grand Isle, including Elmer's Island. Back bays on the north side of Grand Isle are open for fishing. Fishing pier in Caminada Bay is open," she said.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Beach-closed-to-public-to-Grand-Isle-94591494.html

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Re: Louisiana - Grand Isle beach closed to public

Texas man arrested for swimming in Grand Isle waters

by WWLTV.com
wwltv.com
Posted on June 5, 2010 at 5:12 PM

GRAND ISLE, La. -- The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office says a man has been arrested for swimming in waters shut down because of the oil spill.

Grand Isle Police took 22-year-old Jesus Mares, of College Station, Texas, into custody around 7:30 a.m. after he was caught wading in the water just off the beach.

The DEQ shut down the beach after it was declared hazardous and unsafe for swimming.

Authorities say because of contaminants on his body, Mares had to be taken to a decontamination unit on Grand Isle.

He was then booked with criminal trespassing and remaining after being forbidden.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Texas-man-arrested-for-swimming-in-Grand-Isle-waters-95696594.html

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Re: Louisiana - Grand Isle beach closed to public

Flotilla of barges used as oil barricade

Flotilla of barges used as oil barricade

by Brian Skoloff / The Associated Press
wwltv.com
Posted on June 28, 2010 at 6:43 AM


GRAND ISLE, La. -- Mired in a daily battle against the oil soiling Louisiana's shorelines, marshes and wetlands, locals in this barrier island town are pushing ahead with a novel plan to block the crude's path with a flotilla of barges.

"The Cajun navy," Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle calls it.

They're using the barges to partially block five passes where water from the Gulf of Mexico flows between barrier islands into Barataria Bay, an ecological treasure trove of shrimp nurseries, oyster beds, pelican rookeries and fertile fishing grounds. Barges were moved into the first of the passes last week.

In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist announced plans to use barges to create a similar blockade of Destin Pass on the Panhandle.

Oil has already seeped into Barataria Bay, where a rainbow sheen coats huge swaths of the water's surface and thick patches of gooey crude cling to marsh islands. The goal is to keep the damage from getting any worse as the damaged well spews hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf each day.

"We've got to stop any more from coming in," said Jefferson Parish Council Chairman John Young.

Officials are placing 44 120-foot barges into Pass Abel, just off Grand Isle. The barges are being arranged in a V-shape to trap oil in the tip as it's pushed forward by tides and currents. Vaccuum trucks aboard the barges will suck it up.

The barges are secured with pylons hammered into the Gulf seabed in about 10 feet of water.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently approved the barge blockade after local officials pushed it for weeks. The corps is still reviewing plans to eventually replace most of the barges by dumping rocks in the passes.

The corps recognizes there aren't enough resources to fight the onslaught of crude and calls the barge plan a novel mix of local ingenuity and available equipment.

"Instead of having that oil slap up next to the banks, they want to funnel it into certain areas where they can actually capture it," said Mike Farabee, a chief evaluator in the corps' New Orleans regulatory office.

"The barge idea was a really good idea because we do have a lot of barges down here and not enough boom, so you use what you have," Farabee added. "What you have here is people using some ingenuity."

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http://www.wwltv.com/news/Flotilla-of-barges-used-as-oil-barricade-97294524.html

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Re: Louisiana - Grand Isle beach closed to public

Grand Isle struggles to attract visitors during the 4th of July weekend

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by Maya Rodriguez / Eyewitness News
wwltv.com
Posted on July 4, 2010 at 7:39 AM

GRAND ISLE, La. - It is normally one of the main attractions on Grand Isle, but on this 4th of July weekend, the beach is deserted. It remains closed, courtesy of the oil spill in the Gulf. The timing of it all couldn't be worse, since it comes at the height of the island's summer tourism season.

Normally around the 4th of July, there would be between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors on Grand Isle: this weekend, it's barely a small fraction of that.

"We don't have our tourists down here spending their money and we're not seeing their happy faces," said resident Denise Esponge. "You know, the normal vacationers that we see from year to year, that we look forward to seeing, we're not seeing them this year."

Esponge has lived on the island for eight years. She said what bothers her the most now isn't just the people she doesn't see-- it's also the sounds she doesn't hear.

"Usually kids playing on the beach, you hear the laughter," Esponge said. "[You'd] smell the barbecue, things like that and it's just not happening."

Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle said this was supposed to be the summer that brought the island back to its full potential, five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated it.

"We needed this summer," he said.

The oil spill changed all that. Yet, despite the beach closure and ongoing clean up, they are still trying to salvage what they can of the 4th of July weekend.

"I was proud to see this morning the kids opening boxes and the parents this morning putting swimming pools behind their homes. And they were putting water in it. Call the fire department, we'll come in with a hose and help you put water in it," Camardelle said. "We want to make sure we clean up and give a nice celebration to celebrate the 4th of July."

Mayor Camardelle said he will work with other agencies and officials next week on a plan that may allow people access to portion of the beach now closed on Grand Isle.


Video available at:

http://www.wwltv.com/video/featured-videos/Grand-Isle-Struggles-To-Attract-Visitors-During-The-4th-of-July-Weekend-97741744.html