Application of Coastal Engineering Principles in Response to the Deepwater Horizon Disaster: Lessons Learned in Coastal Alabama

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010, and the subsequent events leading to the nation's largest oil spill in recorded history, illuminated a threat not typically included in any practitioner's list of coastal hazards: oil fouling thousands of miles of gulf coastline, habitat, fisheries, and recreational areas. Much uncertainty paralyzed early efforts to contain the spill at the source, and it soon became evident that containment strategies would be focused on preventing surface oil from fouling marshes, wetlands, beaches, bays, bayous, and estuaries. A number of containment strategies and efforts were employed to protect Alabama's 1000 km of tidally influenced shoreline. Some strategies actively contained surface oils (e.g. booms, skimming), others were more passive (e.g. beach cleaning), and still others modified the properties of the oil to enhance degradation (e.g. dispersant). A considerable amount of time, effort, and money was spent on containment efforts and coastal defenses in Alabama during the nearly three-month period following the initial explosion and leak of the Macondo well. The benefit of hindsight affords an opportunity to look back at some of the coastal projects and identify areas for improvement, as well as compare the relative efficacy of proactive and reactive strategies. Along with a general discussion of various impacts to Alabama's coastal resources as a result of the oil spill, four unique coastal projects will be highlighted: the construction of containment measures on Dauphin Island; the closure of a barrier island breach; the closure of a tidal inlet; and the implementation of a novel, robust boom system for Perdido Pass.