BP Oil Spill: Oil in Mississippi Wetlands Prompts Questions About Containment Plan

May 19, 2010— -- The oily mess spreading toward Mississippi's sensitive delta has raised questions about whether BP's insertion tube is enough to significantly slow the oil still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP said the 4-inch tube is working, siphoning 84,000 gallons a day to a ship, oil that would otherwise have dumped into gulf waters. But oil continues to bleed into new areas, and experts fear it could wind its way up the East Coast.

About 46,000 square miles in the gulf are now off limits to fisherman. In parts of the gulf, the oil has been seen breaching the booms put out to contain it.

"I been a shrimper all my life," Debbie Malley said. "I don't know what's going to happen."

But officials have determined that tar balls found in Florida are unconnected to the BP spill.

Some experts agree with BP that the insertion tube has made significant headway in controlling the spill.

"The riser insertion tube can only siphon off a certain amount of the oil, which is probably about 30 to 40 percent of the oil that's coming out of the tube," Rice University professor of civil and mechanical engineering Satish Nagarajaiah said. "I think it's good progress."

But others, including residents who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, say it's not good enough. Some who rely on Florida's $60 billion a year tourism industry say the damage may already be done.

"We know of people who're saying they're not coming in June because of the oil," said Spencer Slate, who owns a dive center in Key Largo. "Nothing functions down here without tourism."

The 60 tar balls found in Key West range in size from 3 to 8 inches in diameter, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. But National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said Tuesday that they believe the diluted oil carried by the current would pose a minimal risk to Florida and the East Coast.