Miami Beach Mystery Tarballs; North Miami Beach, FL

North Miami Beach, FL | 2001-Feb-20

Initial Notification: MSO Miami received reports from FLDEP this morning at around 8 AM that the beaches from Haulover Cut at Hallendale Beach (N. Miami) to John U. Lloyd State Park near Port Everglades had been impacted with a heavy oil. The oil was in the form of tarballs and patties, ranging in size from quarters to 10 or 12 inches in diameter. Coverage was highest at Hollywood Beach and at John U, Lloyd State Park with estimates as high as 30 % along about a 6 foot band between an upper and lower high tide line delineated by separate rows of wrack. Some floating oil was observed in the surf zone. USCG district 7.