Public health notice after oil spill in a Louisiana bay
HOUMA, La. (AP) — People should stay away from an oil spill in the Terrebonne Bay and Lake Pelto area, the Louisiana Department of Health said Wednesday.
Its advisory also warned against fishing in, entering or driving vessels through areas with visible slicks or sheens.
“If you see or smell oil, leave the area right away,” it stated.
Nearly 14,000 gallons (53,000 liters) of crude oil spilled from a tank on Monday, after a platform collapsed at Hilcorp’s Caillou Island facility in Terrebonne Bay, the Coast Guard reported.
Automated systems stopped the flow of oil from pipes leading to the tank, Petty Officer Ryan Graves said in an email Wednesday.
The agency said Tuesday that nobody was hurt and it has not received any reports of affected wildlife. The cause of the collapse is being investigated.
Hilcorp, which is based in Houston, has not responded to a request for comment made Tuesday through its website.
The Coast Guard said Tuesday that 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) of containment boom have been deployed. Three skimming vessels had been deployed, with two vessels holding boom in place to funnel oil into a skimmer, it said.
Environmental Safety & Health Consulting Services has been hired to clean up the spill.
Hilcorp said people affected by the spill may call a claims line at 281-486-5511, according to a coast Guard news release late Monday.
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