A well that has been spewing oil and gas into a Plaquemines Parish marsh for over a week was successfully secured Sunday and is no longer leaking, the U.S. Coast Guard tells our media partners at The Advocate.
Officials told the newspaper that an intervention team successfully cut the flange on the discharging wellhead at around noon, enabling responders to install a flowback assembly to regain control of the well.
“Gaining control of the discharge is a vital milestone, but it marks only the beginning of our work," Coast Guard Capt. Greg Callaghan said in a prepared statement. "The Unified Command is fully committed to an exhaustive cleanup effort and will remain on site for as long as necessary to ensure the removal of oil and the safety of both the community and the ecosystem."
Since the incident was first reported near Garden Island Bay on April 26, responders have deployed 20,300 feet of containment boom with 4,200 feet more on standby. Responders have also deployed 1,047 bales of absorbent boom to protect nearby islands. As of Sunday night, responders had recovered approximately 70,812 gallons of oily water mixture, The Advocate reports.
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