The Coast Guard, state, and federal agencies are responding to a crude oil spill in the marsh near Dulac.
The spill happened Thursday afternoon; authorities believed that about 420 gallons of crude oil spilled from a flow line owned by Texas Petroleum Investment Corporation was dumped into an unnamed marsh in the Lake Paige Oil and Gas Field.
A pollution response team from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Houma, and contracted oil spill response personnel from Environmental Safety and Health, the oil spill response organization hired for cleanup, responded to the spill Thursday with hard boom and sorbents.
Members from the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, MSU Houma, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Wildlife and fisheries, and a TPIC representative arrived on scene Friday to reevaluate the discharge and plan cleanup operations.
Together, they set the probable spill amount at more like 1,680 gallons of crude oil, and that it probably is trapped in the marsh. They’ve also decided that burning the oil is the best option to remove it, so that will happen tomorrow at 9 a.m.
MSU Houma is monitoring clean-up operations and the source of the spill has been secured, officials say.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. Impact to the environment and wildlife is being determined, USCG officials say.
