The BP Slick: It’s bigger than Belgium, Netherlands and more.

Much more.

On page 7 of a small publication out of Ottawa, our nation’s capital, I read the following under a map of the area:

“After 57 days of oil gushing out from BP’s blown out Gulf of Mexico well, the spill now spans an area stretching from just north of Kingston, northeast to Shawinigan, swallowing Ottawa and Montreal in the process.” (June 16, 24H Ottawa)

The accompanying map was a jaw-dropper. The slick swallowed up a pile of territory I had just travelled through by motorcycle.


["The BP slick, and related destruction, is growing, growing": 24HOttawa]

My mileage records state the distance I covered from Trois Rivieres, Quebec (upper right corner of map) to Ottawa (at the center) was 358 km. To get to Algonquin Park (the green shape, left of center) would have been another day’s ride.

In other words, the slick is so big a person would have to motorcycle steadily (no stopping for photos, lunch or bathroom breaks) for 6 - 10 hours to go from one edge to the other.

That’s an area so great it would not only swallow Montreal and Ottawa but Belgium (18,969 sq. km.), Netherlands (23,210 sq. km.), Switzerland (25,653 sq. km.) and Ireland (43,466 sq. km) as well.

And that was a week ago.

There will be no rest for the wicked if they hope to restore the damage .

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[Please click here to read an earlier post related to other numbers associated with the BP spill.]

[Please click here to read an earlier column of mine related to the BP spill.]

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