Loading ...BP Oil Spill
Ishan Waykul
Its Been 100 days since the disastrous BP Oil Spill has occurred.
WHAT?
BP(British Petroleum) Oil Spill was an explosion of a Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig owned by BP, which happened on April 20th 2010. This is by far the worst environmental disaster in the United States. This is the 3rd major disaster along with the Texas City Refinery Explosion, and the Prudohoe Bay Oil Spill, that was caused by the BP over these 5 years.
WHERE?
40 Miles off of the Louisiana Coast, in the Gulf of Mexico.
AFTERMATH:
1.47 million gallons of oil to 2.52 million gallons of oil are being lost daily due to the oil spill. The oil spill caused by BP has now covered 75,000 Sq. Miles, which is about the size of South Carolina!
The water near the coast of Louisiana has changed colors drastically from clear to a mixture of murky black and maroon. On the beaches near the oil spill location, there are oil tar balls, scattered everywhere. Animals such as water-birds, crabs, marine life animals, and other animals living near the location of the spill, have been severely affected. Many of them have been seriously injured. 438 Sea Turtles and 52 Dolphins are so far the victims of the oil spill.
WHAT IS BEING DONE:
Currently BP is sending down their robots about 5,000 feet deep in the water, to clean the oil spill. The robots are trying to restore the oil that is being spilt every day (restoration speed is about 42,000 gallons per day). The robots have also been trying to start up a device called a blow out preventer, which is made to shut down a well that is giving off sudden pressure. BP has put a containment cap over the spill to stop the spread of the oil and save it. Unfortunately the cap has not been helping the problem. Now BP has created a new cap system, once this new Cap system is activated, approximately 60,000 to 80,000 gallons of oil will be captured daily according to the BP Vice President Kent Wells.