Sand Beach Treatment Studies and Field Trials Conducted During the Deepwater Horizon-Macondo Response Operation

ABSTRACT Shoreline treatment on the Macondo response following the Deepwater Horizon incident in April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico involved consideration of best and the most appropriate practices for approximately 400 miles of oiled sand beaches. Typically, sand beach treatment involves straightforward manual or mechanical removal tactics. On all spills, virtually all other options (mixing, sediment relocation, washing or chemical treatment) require some form of regulatory approval or permitting. Oiling conditions included surface and buried oil layers, surface and buried oil/sand balls, stained sand, and sunken oil in the adjacent subtidal waters. Three key elements of the decision process on this response and the choice of appropriate tactics involved: (1) waste minimization to remove as little sand as possible, (2) treatment and restoration of amenity beaches for recreational use as soon as possible, and (3) maintenance of beach stability in the event of storms. These three issues drove the SCAT progra...