Several coastal dune lakes closed off June 5

From the Walton County Sheriff’s Office: The afternoons of June 4 and 5, several quarter size clots of what appears to be oil were found along Walton County’s 26 miles of coastline. The clots were identified, picked up, and the State Coordinating Office was notified. Walton County Sheriff’s deputies along with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and State Wildlife officers (FWC) patrolled our beaches June 5 to identify and dispose of any oil related substance that might come on shore.
Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management personnel were also in frequent contact with State and Federal officials to monitor the oil location in the Gulf, and coordinate response efforts in our county.  Walton County’s contractors and engineers closed off several of the coastal dune lakes today, to prevent any increased wave action from bringing any oil from the surf into the lake, in case it makes it to our beaches in large amounts.  The sand that was trucked onto the beaches and to the lake areas was part of Walton County’s Dune Lake Protection Plan that was approved and permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida DEP.
Residents or visitors are encouraged to call and report any suspected oil substance on the beach to (866)448-5816 or (850)267-2000, so that trained response personnel may pick it up and dispose of properly.  Residents and visitors should not pick up and carry off the beach any suspected oil related substances themselves.