Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back Into THe Water

I am saddened by the state of the southern coast and the future of its inhabitants. The fishing community will face many frustrations. False hopes of financial easements will take longer than they expect to come to fruition. Species that borough or ground-nest will hopefully sustain survival rates large enough to rebuild the species in a decade or two.

People will be desperate. Divorce rates will go up. Alcoholism will increase. Some people will feel helpless, some of them will succumb to it.

I am sorry for your losses, and that which is to come. My hope is in your strong communities, families and your southern will. Strength be with you all.

Twenty-one years after Valdez (which is an [almost] unreasonable comparison), there is still oil on the shores of Prince William Sound. Not all is visible on the surface, but it's easily found if you dig a little hole or pick up an embedded rock. Some species never recovered.

 

ADINFO about the pressure in the formation.
The Oil Drum | BP's Deepwater Oil Spill - Why the Flow Rates are Increasing and Open Thread 2
One guy states flatly that the pressure in the formation is 12,000 psi, well below what I calculated using granite as the rock. Looks like something less dense covers the reservoir, or (if granite) it's less dense than I used. (My reference gives a range of granite density, I picked one in the middle of the range.)