KEY LARGO, Florida (15 June 2002) -- Almost exactly one month after suffering the humiliation of bungling the Spiegel Grove sinking, embarrassed Key Largo Chamber of Commerce officials are struggling again to reassure the public after oil started to leak from the Spiegel Grove. Just when Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary officials thought they had already seen the worst, the trouble-plagued Spiegel Grove - a 510-foot decommissioned landing ship dock sunk last week to boost sagging dive tourism - is once again threatening fragile marine ecosystems. An oil slick is emerging from unknown sources deep within the Grove, which now lies on her side in 130' of water near Key Largo following a massive and costly salvage effort that failed to turn the ship upright after project organizers botched the initial sinking attempt. Despite promises from Key Largo Chamber of Commerce members and project leaders that sinking the Grove within a marine sanctuary would "do no damage to the environment", it is well established that even low concentrations of hydrocarbons can have devastating effects on marine life. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "Both fuel and oil contain toxic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, which can be deadly to marine life in very small quantities". Scientists in the Galapagos recently announced findings that extremely minute quantities of hydrocarbons from the Jessica oil spill killed over 60% of marine iguanas in contaminated areas (Go to CDNN REPORT: Galapagos Oil Spill Devastated Marine Iguanas). Earlier scientific studies of the effects of hydrocarbon exposure to living corals have shown that, "petroleum hydrocarbons have numerous detrimental effects on coral reproduction, larval development and settling, growth rate, photosynthesis, cell structure, feeding and behavioral responses." The Spiegel Grove is located less than less than one mile from sensitive coral reefs. Despite such concerns - and the simple fact that no one knows where the leak is coming from, what the oily substance actually is, how much more of it remains in the ship, or how to stop it - local and federal authorities appear to be decidedly downplaying the event. An upbeat George Garrett, Monroe County's director of marine resources, said that the spill - that yesterday created a readily visible surface slick about 150 yards long - appears to pose no environmental hazard. | | Please buy your very own numbered Spiegel Grove fake gold lifetime medallion and support oil contamination of national marine sanctuaries. ''It's not a huge problem,'' Garrett said. ''We're hoping this will just go away." Dave Score, upper region manager for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary where the ship rests, visited the scene of the spill Friday and stated (not too reassuringly), ''It's definitely not catastrophic.'' Lt. Warren Weedon, a spokesman for the Coast Guard's Miami marine safety office, also dismissed the spill as nothing to get overly concerned about, however, Weedon admitted that Coast Guard officials have yet to directly inspect the spill to assess the potential for damage to marine wildlife within the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary. Despite these attempted reassurances, the spill already would be sufficient - had it been due to a willful act or negligence - to constitute a criminal violation of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which "prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United States... if such discharge causes a film or discoloration of the surface of the water." The Coast Guard said the next step is to identify the source of the leaking oil and work with the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce (the same people who bungled the Grove sinking and assured the public that the vessel had been properly cleaned) to remove the fluid from the Spiegel Grove. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
