Perdido Bay is a bay at the mouth of and draining the Perdido River

Perdido River

The Perdido River is a river in the U.S. states of Alabama and Florida. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along nearly its entire length and drains into the Gulf of Mexico...

, a designated Outstanding Florida Waters

Outstanding Florida Waters

Outstanding Florida Waters are rivers, lakes and other bodies of water designated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as worthy of special protection because of their natural attributes. Outstanding Florida Waters have special restrictions on any new activities that would lower...

 river, in Baldwin County, Alabama

Baldwin County, Alabama

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

 and Escambia County, Florida

Escambia County, Florida

Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Geography

Perdido Bay lies east of the Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 communities of Orange Beach

Orange Beach, Alabama

Orange Beach is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,784. It is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 and Lillian

Lillian, Alabama

Lillian is an unincorporated community in eastern Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. Lillian sits on the west shore of Perdido Bay. It is the second-largest organized unincorporated community in Baldwin County...

. It lies west of the Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 communities of Pensacola

Pensacola

Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...

 and Perdido Key

Perdido Key, Florida

Perdido Key, Florida is an unincorporated community located in Escambia County, Florida, between Pensacola, Florida and Orange Beach, Alabama. "Perdido" means "lost" in the Spanish language, and Perdido Key is sometimes called "Lost Key" by local residents and businesses.The community is located on...

.

Ono Island

Ono Island (Alabama)

Ono Island is a long barrier island in southern Baldwin County, Alabama, at the mouth of Perdido Bay on the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered by Bayou St. John to the north and Old River to the south. Surrounding communities include Perdido Key, Florida to the south and east and Orange...

 and the mouth of the bay are within Alabama territory. The Florida border crosses Florida Point and the barrier islands just east of Alabama Point and Perdido Pass

Perdido pass

Perdido Pass, separating Alabama Point from Florida Point, is the mouth of the Perdido River. Perdido Pass forms a water passage that connects Perdido Bay with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, in the U.S. state of Alabama, 2 miles west of the Alabama/Florida state line...

, where the bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

. Perdido Pass also provides maritime access from Perdido Bay to the Intracoastal Waterway

Intracoastal Waterway

The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...

 and the Gulf.

2010 Gulf oil spill

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Deepwater Horizon oil spill

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...

 (called the "Gulf oil spill"), the entrance to Perdido Pass

Perdido pass

Perdido Pass, separating Alabama Point from Florida Point, is the mouth of the Perdido River. Perdido Pass forms a water passage that connects Perdido Bay with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, in the U.S. state of Alabama, 2 miles west of the Alabama/Florida state line...

 was closed, with a barrier system in June 2010, to control tidal flow of oil entering from the Gulf of Mexico. The daily high tide

High Tide

High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...

was causing oil-contaminated water to enter Perdido Bay. The barrier system is designed to allow boats to travel through Perdido Pass, during the outflowing tide, but close during the rising tide and collect oil deposits in a retention area on the eastern edge of the pass.