Wildlife refuge oil leak to be cleaned up with controlled burn

A controlled burn will be used as part of the cleanup of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, US, after an oil leak was detected. Federal and state officials have been working to clean up 2,100 gallons of crude oil that were found to have leaked in the nature reserve on Wednesday (May 28th). 

Around ten acres of freshwater marsh in the wildlife refuge was affected when a bulk oil line developed a breach. The line, managed by Texas Petroleum Investment Co, runs beneath the marsh. The breach has now been repaired, however, the pipe will not be used for future oil production.

Unfortunately, access to the affected area is limited to the use of flat bottomed boats, meaning that remediation is difficult. As a result of this limited access, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is taking steps to burn the affected area. This will remove the oil and stop other areas of the site from becoming contaminated.

It is thought that the controlled burning of the site will greatly reduce the amount of oil present in the marsh. This will help to accelerate the cleanup efforts and reduce the effect the spill has upon the environment and wildlife of the reserve.

In order to ensure that safety is maintained during the burn process, the Octave Pass will be closed to mariners while the operation is underway. Once the burn is completed the pass will open as normal. During the burn process, workers will keep an eye on progress through the use of air monitoring. Once the burn has been completed, additional cleanup operations will begin to remove what oil is left.

Before the burn begins, airboats and scare cannons will be used throughout the marsh in order to move wildlife away temporarily. It is thought that the controlled burn will not greatly impact marine animals, wildlife or birds that are found in the refuge.