NEW ORLEANS (AP) 鈥� Federal authorities are seeking to contain and clean up the damage from a decades-old oil well in southeast Louisiana that spewed crude and natural gas for more than a week.
Upwards of 79,000 gallons (299,047 liters) of 鈥渙ily water mixture鈥� have been recovered near Garden Island Bay in Plaquemines Parish at the edge of the Mississippi River Delta Basin, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday. The region is still recovering from the 15 years ago.
鈥淕aining control of the discharge is a vital milestone, but it marks only the beginning of our work," U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Greg Callaghan, who is coordinating the federal response, said in an emailed 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,鈥� Callaghan added.
Authorities say they have deployed more than 20,000 feet (6 kilometers) of containment booms. The cause of the leak remains under investigation, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it has 鈥渟uccessfully secured鈥� the well that's responsible for the leakage, owned by the firm Spectrum OpCo, LLC. But the total amount of discharged oil remained 鈥渦nknown."
鈥淪pectrum OpCo sincerely regrets the incident and its potential impact on our neighbors and remains fully engaged and resolutely committed to assisting with the cleanup,鈥� the company said in an emailed statement.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, stated it is 鈥減roviding on-scene scientific support鈥� such as tracking the spread of the spill and identifying natural resources at risk.
So far, only one bird covered in oil has been reported by federal authorities.
Plaquemines Parish has 20 pending lawsuits against oil and gas companies for failing to clean up infrastructure and surrounding coastal wetlands. Last month, a jury ordered Chevron to in damages to the parish.
Louisiana U.S. Rep. Troy Carter said that the spill called attention to the 鈥渃lear and present danger鈥� posed by who have experience handling oil spills.
鈥淲e owe it to our communities, our environment, and our future generations to safeguard Louisiana鈥檚 coast 鈥� before it鈥檚 too late,鈥� Carter said.
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Brook covers Louisiana government, infrastructure and environmental issues from New Orleans. He is a Report for America corps member.
Jack Brook, The Associated Press
