As of last week the leak in the Gulf has been completely contained and for the first time in nearly three months oil has stopped gushing in to the Gulf!  Although the newly installed cap is a temporary measure until the relief wells can be completed in early August, the cap is working thus far.  Results monitored from control rooms on ships at sea and hundreds of miles away at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Houston showed the oil staying inside the cap, rather than escaping through any undiscovered breaches, BP PLC vice president Kent Wells said on a morning conference call.  The most recent pressure tests showed that pressure was up to 6,700 pounds per square inch inside the well’s capping stack while officials are looking for a pressure above 8,000. This would indicate that no oil is being forced out elsewhere through a fresh leak and the well is capable of withstanding the caps pressure. 

These recent events are definitely encouraging and most Gulf residents are cautiously optimistic about the procedure. Last week the Walton County patrol deputies reported that the 26 miles of beaches are still clear. Walton County has 1,370 clean up workers ready to respond to any impacted areas along the coast. The spill has certainly cost this beautiful area thousands of seasonal guests while the weather, water, and beaches have still been truly amazing for the vast majority of that time.  At this point it is of course still too early to forecast the long-term impacts the events in the Gulf will have on the region but as positive results begin to unfold the morale will most certainly take a positive turn as well.   Let us all remain optimistic about the events and solutions scheduled in the coming weeks and hope there is finally a permanent solution to this difficult situation.  From tragedy comes triumph and the people of this immaculate region are confident that means their entire way of life will be restored as soon as possible.