This is just a video comparison. The BP people said that they wanted to try other options before attempting a top kill because theTop Kill Could Stop Spill or Make it Worse
It has not stopped the spill so far and it appears to have made it worse, you make the call.
Here is the streaming video of the riser from May 23, before the top kill was initiated.
note: the white stuff at the beginning of this video is almost pure gas. wait till halfway through to do the comparison.
here is the current streaming video from BP's website today
Note that the angle and proximity to the leak has changed, the second video is from farther away and above the leak instead of close and from the side. I expect this is here to see if any of the junk shots are pushing material through the riser and out onto the sea bed.
Now, I know it is hard to say definitively from these video comparisons, but I am very certain, in my own mind, that they have absolutely made the leak rate worse.
If the junk shot does not work. I am of the opinion that the only solution is some kind of underwater, flexible conduit system. Made of a flexible and strong oil-resistant material that can catch the rising plume and direct it to a localized area on the surface where tanker ships may extract the oil/water mix.
similar to the boom images/diaries found on this site.
This will at least keep the oil isolated in an area for easy cleanup.
unfortunately for BP, dispersants cannot be used in this process and an accurate assessment of the amount of oil leaking will be readily determined. . .and will most likely be in the range of 30,000-60,000 barrels per day.