A plan has been put into place by the Walton County Emergency Management in Florida and the C.W. Robert Contracting, Inc. to attempt to deter any of the oil from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from reaching any of the pristine beaches in the area. There will be three stages to the plan...

1. Stage One: Barges with blowers will be set up offshore, armed with Bahia type hay. The plan is to spray the hay on an incoming oil slick as soon as it is spotted in an effort to adhere the oil to the hay, making the mess easier to clean up as well as keeping a majority of the oil from contaminating the 26 miles of beautiful beaches along the Walton County coast.
2. Stage Two: 50,000 feet of New Green Type 4 silt retention fence wil be on hand, in order to stop any oil that passes through the hay. Bales of hay will also be placed along the shoreline to be quickly deployed on any oil slick that does reach the shoreline. The oil covered hay will then be cleaned up by the very same machinery that is used to clean up seaweed.
3. Stage Three: Walton County has a need to protect the Coastal Dune Lakes as well. The Dune Lakes project will consist of wrapping New Green Type 4 silt retention fence around jersey walls and laying them along the opening of the Coast Dune Lakes. They will then place Geo Bales, a recycled synthetic fiber that will act as a filter, in front of the walls.

Volunteer Training began yesterday, May 6, 2010 and will continue for as long as it takes to secure that there will be enough people to ensure that the Walton County beaches will remain safe. For more information on Volunteer Training, feel free to visit the website.