Coast Guard Receives Reports Of Oil In Gulf Of Mexico
The United States Coast Guard reports that on March 19th its Sector New Orleans received notifications of possible pollution that varied in size and location. The Coast Guard's news release states that the largest sighting was described as a dark substance floating on and beneath the surface of the water stretching 100 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico south of Grand Isle.
The Coast Guard Cutter Pompano was deployed and gathered samples, which were analyzed and found to contain only trace amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons, oil and grease. The results were quantified under the Louisiana Department of Enviromental Quality standards.
The Coast Guard concluded that the dark substance resulted from a tremendous amount of sediment being carried down the Mississippi River due to high water, possibly further agitated by dredging operations.
The Coast Guard also was notified on March 20 that an oily substance was washing ashore on Elmer Isle, Fourchon Beach and Grand Isle. Coast Guard investigators' early reports indicated that the west end of Grand Isle, the east and west end of Elmer Island, and intermittent areas of Fourchon Beach were affected. Sheen on the water in Timbalier Bay also was reported, but there was no confirmation of Timbalier Island being impacted, the agency said.
The Coast Guard activated certain oil spill response assets and began pre-staging boom in order to prevent oil from affecting various bays and other environmentally sensitive areas.
The Coast Guard noted that the oily substance was not suspected to be residual oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“We have 10,000 feet of hard boom and 9,000 feet of five-inch sorbent boom ordered into the area. We have 5,000 feet of each boom already delivered and staged in Grand Isle,” said Capt. Jonathan Burton, commanding officer Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City and Federal on Scene Coordinator for the response.
A private remediation company had been contracted to begin cleaning up the affected shorelines.
The separate incidents remain under investigation.
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