Mystery Tarballs, South Padre Island Beaches; Gulf of Mexico, TX
NOAA initial notification: “NOAA was notified by the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) of tarballs showing up on South Padre Island beaches. According to TGLO, the oil began washing ashore around daybreak this morning (July 22). NOAA support has not yet been requested by the USCG.”[1]
Latest included source report
Posted 31 Jul 2009
Latest source report
“At this point, the impacts on Matagorda Island (the farthest upcoast point of impact for this event) have been confirmed by patrols to be minimal with coverages less than 1%. The Aransas Wildlife Refuge will have their turtle patrols over the weekend and will notify the GLO if any more oil starts to come in. From Buzz Martin (7/31/09)” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[5]
NOAA report chronology
5 dated source records · 22 Jul 2009 to 31 Jul 2009NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “NOAA was notified by the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) of tarballs showing up on South Padre Island beaches. According to TGLO, the oil began washing ashore around daybreak this morning (July 22). NOAA support has not yet been requested by the USCG.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.
Milestone 1 of 5: 22 Jul 2009. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “NOAA was notified by the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) of tarballs showing up on South Padre Island beaches. According to TGLO, the oil began washing ashore around daybreak this morning (July 22). NOAA support has not yet been requested by the USCG.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (26.115°, -97.164°)
Initial Report
Source report excerpt: “NOAA was notified by the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) of tarballs showing up on South Padre Island beaches. According to TGLO, the oil began washing ashore around daybreak this morning. It's fresh, heavy product ... very aromatic. Dime to “softball” size patties that sheen and adhere to the sand. Coverage is highly variable (reported as trace up to 40% with banding on the beach from 0.5' to 2.5'). No estimate on quantity. No known source. The first impacts were thought to be around the mouth of the Rio Grande and now extend to the north end of the South Padre Island city limits ... a distance of around 9 miles. The USCG was to have conducted an overflight today, but the NOAA Scientific […]”
Overflight Observations
Source report excerpt: “USCG REPORTING SPORADIC TO PATCHY COVERAGE OF OIL ON AN 8 MILE SECTION OF BEACH FROM THE SPI JETTIES NORTHWARD. THEY ARE REPORTING PATCHY COVERAGE ON AN 1 MILE SECTION OF BEACH FROM THE BOCA CHICA BEACH JETTIES SOUTHWARD. THIS INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY TGLO.”
Update, 24 July 2009
Source report excerpt: “LATEST OVERFLIGHT INFORMATION REVEALED HEAVIEST IMPACT ON BOCA CHICA BEACH NEAR THE JETTIES. ONLY SPORADIC COVERAGE WAS OBSERVED IN SOUTH PADRE ISLAND IN A SMALL AREA BEHIND THE HOTELS. OFFSHORE SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 2-10 MILES REVEALED NO FREE FLOATING PRODUCT. SOUTH PADRE ISLAND PUBLIC WORKS IS RAKING THE 1-2% COVERAGE ON THEIR BEACHES. OIL SPILL CLEANUP CONTRACTORS ARE SHIFTING ALL OF THEIR EFFORT TO BOCA CHICA BEACH. CLEAN UP CREWS ARE WORKING ON THE RACK LINE, WHICH IS CONTAMINATED WITH OIL, AT DOLPHINS COVE. USCG AND TGLO PERSONNEL ARE MONITORING ALL CLEAN UP DIVISIONS AT THIS TIME. USCG STRIKE TEAM SHOULD ARRIVE TO ASSIST MONITORING ACTIVITIES. THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED […]”
Buzz email report
Source report excerpt: “At this point, the impacts on Matagorda Island (the farthest upcoast point of impact for this event) have been confirmed by patrols to be minimal with coverages less than 1%. The Aransas Wildlife Refuge will have their turtle patrols over the weekend and will notify the GLO if any more oil starts to come in. From Buzz Martin (7/31/09)”
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Details in the record
- Source record
- NOAA IncidentNews 8055[1]
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Automatically assembled from NOAA's incident record and substantive Public Affairs or Situation Update posts. Dates are NOAA posting dates, which can differ from when events happened or original reports were published. Excerpts retain the source's wording and uncertainty. This account does not independently establish the cause, current outcome or safety of the area. NOAA coverage is selective; missing updates do not mean nothing happened. The map shows one approximate incident area, not a vessel track.
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Original sources
Timeline updated 19 Sept 2026. New reports and changes to this NOAA incident are incorporated automatically; this is not a live incident feed.
- 1.Mystery Tarballs, South Padre Island Beaches; Gulf of Mexico, TX ↗NOAA Office of Response and Restoration · 22 Jul 2009
- 2.Initial Report ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 23 Jul 2009
- 3.Overflight Observations ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 23 Jul 2009
- 4.Update, 24 July 2009 ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 24 Jul 2009
- 5.Buzz email report ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 31 Jul 2009
Related records in our archive
Original source text, preserved separately from this account.
NOAAORR-8055 NOAA response record
Mystery Tarballs, South Padre Island Beaches; Gulf of Mexico, TX. Gulf of Mexico, TX. 1. NOAA was notified by the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) of tarballs showing up on South Padre Island beaches. According to TGLO, the oil began washing ashore around daybreak this morning (July 22). NOAA support has not yet been requested by the USCG. 2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: UNKNOWN OIL (TARBALLS AND SHEEN). TAGS: MYSTERY SUBSTANCE. 3. POSITION 26.115N 097.164W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 8055: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/8055Open record and warning history →
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