By ANN RICHARDS
In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began April 20, lifeguards on Gulf of Mexico beaches are testing the safety of water by “seeing what it feels like,” says Casi Callaway, executive director of
Mobile Baykeeper, an Alabama-based organization that is a leader on regional oil-spill response efforts.
"That’s just not good enough," she said of efforts to safeguard swimmers and beach lovers. "Right now, there’s very little air or water testing taking place in the Gulf. We’ve got to develop an overall sampling and testing protocol - one that can be used on beaches from Texas to Florida - and we’ve got to identify the right lab to turn the results around quickly."
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 The city of Mobile is situated on the western shore of the 413-square-mile bay.
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Protecting Mobile Bay’s water, white sand beaches and protective barrier of sea grasses always has been the priority for Callaway and her staff of five. But since the drilling rig exploded and an estimated 4.9 millions barrels of oil were released, the threats to Mobile Bay’s wetlands and shoreline have reached crisis proportions.
Of particular concern to Callaway is the effect of dispersants that are being used to dissolve the oil slicks.
"Chemical dispersants have broken up the oil – which makes it virtually impossible to clean it up," she said. "Dispersants make it appear that there’s no oil, but all you have to do is put a white towel in the beach water and it comes up orange. The oil’s in the sand; it’s everywhere."
One of the most frustrating aspects of the spill, she says, is that there is little the 6,000 volunteers who have contacted Mobile Baykeeper can accomplish in terms of cleanup.
Field observers – individuals capable of monitoring the shoreline, finding oil as it comes to shore and documenting the state of the environment prior to impact – are key to the area’s recovery, Callaway says. In collaboration with the
Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper has recruited and trained close to 200 volunteer field observers so far and continues to offer trainings.
Mobile Baykeeper, founded in 1997 as West Bay Watch Inc., has a track record in terms of public education and training. Under Callaway’s direction, the organization has grown to include 4,000 members who engage on such issues as sewage, air toxics, mercury exposure, permit violations, industrial growth and other public health protection needs.
Since 1999, Mobile Baykeeper has been an affiliate of
Waterkeeper Alliance, a movement encompassing 200 organizations that work to patrol and protect more than 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines on six continents.
Mobile Baykeeper has received two grants totaling
$310,000 since 2008 from the Mott Foundation to support the activities of the Alabama Urban Stormwater Project, which includes the “Muddy Water Watch,” a statewide education program that trains volunteers to monitor stormwater runoff from construction sites.
Casi Callaway is executive director of Mobile Baykeeper.
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Prior to the oil spill, urban runoff was the greatest threat to the state’s water quality, Callaway says.
"It was our silent oil spill," she said. "Thanks to Mott, we’ve become a lot more prepared to deal with Deepwater Horizon. Foundation support provided the cushion we needed to become a stronger organization. Now we have a team in place that’s capable of responding to this disaster."
Mobile Baykeeper also recently completed a comprehensive restoration plan for the 53 miles of beach and 600 miles of tidal shoreline that comprise the Alabama coast. Known as the "100/1,000 plan" – 100 miles of oyster reef, 1,000 miles of beds of grasses – it has become the framework for returning the bay to its optimal condition.
"Those grasses – that’s where the oysters, the shrimp, the fish breed," Callaway said. "They’re not only important environmentally, they are critical to our way of life, our economy and economic recovery, and our culture as a people."
Going forward, she is determined not only to push for restoration of the bay, but also to make sure that in the future, regulations governing offshore gas and oil wells are strong enough to protect the people who live near, or work in, the waters.
"A couple of years ago – regrettably – I told a reporter at the
Birmingham Press that Mobile Baykeeper didn’t have the capacity to deal with oil and gas issues. For us, they were too big and too scary," Callaway said.
"But we’ve gotten over that. Now we’re looking at our work in terms of bite-size pieces. By doing that, even this spill hasn’t overwhelmed us so far."
If there’s an upside to the oil spill, she says, it is the opportunity to publicize the importance of clean water and the action that must be taken individually, as well as at the state and national levels, to protect not only Alabama’s waters, but also those across the U.S.
"Shortcuts - doing things the easy, cheap way rather than the responsible way – that’s what we fight every day," Callaway said. "We have to make sure that once Deepwater Horizon’s gone from our daily television screens, people don’t forget what led to this disaster."
[Editors Note: On June 11, 2010, Lifetime Entertainment Services LLC (which operates the Lifetime cable network) recognized Casi Callaway through its “Lifetime Celebrates Remarkable Women” campaign.