During a spill response, sensitive locations threatened by an advancing oil slick can be protected with various kinds of equipment and tactics.
Booms are floating, physical barriers to oil, made of plastic, metal, or other materials, which slow the spread of oil and keep it contained. Skilled teams deploy booms using mooring systems, such as anchors and land lines. They commonly place boom:
Across a narrow entrance to the ocean, such as a stream outlet or small inlet, to close off that entrance so that oil can't pass through into marshland or other sensitive habitat.In places where the boom can deflect oil away from sensitive locations, such as shellfish beds or beaches used by piping plovers as nesting habitat.Around a sensitive site, to prevent oil from reaching it.
