Oil Spill Response Under Way Near Pass a Loutre, Louisiana

On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a response to a spill near an oil production site in the Bird's Foot of the Mississippi Delta.

The spill is located near the Garden Island Bay Production Facility, a marshland well collection point near Pass a Loutre. Operator Spectrum OpCo LLC, the Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO) have set up a unified command to address the mixed oil and gas release. A LOSCO overflight confirmed the spill, and first responders are on scene to help mitigate the damage. At least one containment boom has been deployed.

The operating company has hired in three firms - Forefront Emergency Management, Environmental Safety & Health Consulting Services, and Clean Gulf Associates - in order to address the spill.

Courtesy USCG

The volume of the spill has not been assessed yet, but overflight assessments are scheduled daily. There have been no reports of injuries or wildlife impacts, and the affected area is well outside of the Mississippi's main shipping channel.

The Pass a Loutre area is the end point of the Mississippi Flyway bird migration route, a key travel corridor for a large number of familiar American bird species. In an adjacent wildlife management area just to the south, the state and federal governments have spent millions of dollars on marshland and habitat restoration for the benefit of migratory birds.