The BP Oil Spill: Temporary Wood Roads and Swamp Mats http://bit.ly/s6sbEu

Article by DixieMat

An environmental crisis, possibly one of the worst our nation will have experienced in recent history, is unfolding right now along the gulf coast of the United States. The oil platform, Deepwater Horizon, exploded two weeks ago on April 20th, two days later it sank leaving oil gushing from damaged pipes near the sea floor. The bubbling wound has been spilling crude oil into the ocean at a rate of more than 200,000 gallons per day. As the oil slick creeps towards the gulf shore, it carries with it the potential to destroy wildlife, habitat, and the livelihoods of local fishermen and gulf coast tourism. Most likely, this isn't news to anyone, especially given the fact that the leak has continued unabated for more than two weeks now. So, why is it being posted on the Dixie Mat blog? Well, with the extent of the damage yet unknown, there is the distinct likelihood that Dixie Mat, with their hardwood mats and swamp mats, will become a valuable part of the clean up operation which will take place in the weeks, months, and years following the catastrophe.

The BP oil spill is especially worrisome given the rich wetlands of southern Louisiana and the clean up nightmare that could ensue should the oil permeate into the fragile ecosystem there. Wetland clean up would most likely be incredibly difficult because of the inaccessibility of the area. Luckily, swamp mats and hardwood mats that could be used to construct board roads and temporary wood roads would help allow access to places that would otherwise be nearly impossible to reach by vehicle.

So, what is a board road or temporary wood road? Well, temporary wood roads are simply strings of hardwood mats, like swamp mats, that are connected to each other to create a secure platform for vehicles to smoothly pass over swamp and marsh. As preparations for the wetland clean up of the BP oil spill are made, the use of temporary wood roads and board roads will most likely prove to be an invaluable resource. Despite the terrible cost of an environmental disaster like the gulf coast oil spill, wetland clean up can be made more manageable by temporary wood roads and swamp mats by Dixie Mat.