GALVESTON, Texas (AP) _ Officials are collecting soil and water samples along the Texas Gulf Coast to help with response plans if more crude oil from the Gulf oil spill washes up on the state’s shores.
Biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began gathering the samples this week. That’s after Monday’s announcement that test results confirmed tar balls found over the weekend along the Texas Gulf Coast were from the BP oil spill.
The samples are being collected from Port Arthur near the Louisiana border to Port Isabel in south Texas. They’ll give officials a baseline to assess the spill’s effect on Texas if more tar balls and oil are found on the state’s coastline.
Biologists were collecting samples on Wednesday on Galveston beaches, where tar balls were found on Sunday.