HOUSTON – The Coast Guard said Wednesday morning it is monitoring the response to an oil spill in the vicinity of Calcasieu Point Landing near Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Coast Guard said in a news release that one of its Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles pollution responders received a report at approximately 8:15 a.m. Monday of an unknown quantity of oil in the water in an industrial canal north of Choupique Island.
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The Coast Guard said pollution responders were dispatched to the location alongside representatives from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and the Lake Charles Fire Department.
On-scene investigators learned the discharge escaped from the secondary containment at Martin Energy Services. The Coast Guard said Martin Energy Services personnel secured the source of the spill and estimated that approximately 3,500 gallons of used lubricant oil entered the water. Martin Energy Services is a Houston-based company, based on internet searches and its website.
The oil spill response organization hired by Martin Energy Services, OMI Environmental Solutions, placed over 2,000 feet of boom and contained the oil spill along the banks of the Lake Charles Industrial Canal.
LDWF personnel rescued seven oiled pelicans from the site of the spill. Environmental assessments are still ongoing.
The Coast Guard temporarily halted traffic along the Intracoastal Waterway during the initial assessment and cleanup; however, the Intracoastal Waterway is not impacted and has since been reopened to marine traffic.
MSU Lake Charles teams are working closely with the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, LDEQ, LDWF and Martin Energy Services to clean up the affected areas, mitigate environmental impacts and recover the oil.