2,300 fish and more than 100 other species were killed in the spill, including 39 snakes, 32 birds, a few eels, and a blue crab.
According to federal documents, a badly deteriorated Meraux pipeline exploded and spilled more than 1.1 million liters of diesel fuel just outside of New Orleans after the operator postponed necessary repairs.
Thousands of fish, birds, and other creatures were killed after the most of the fuel was thrown into two artificial ponds known as “borrow pits,” according to state and local officials. According to state and federal officials, the spill affected soil as well.
The pipeline’s owner said that 315,000 gallons (1.2 million gallons) of fuel had been skimmed and recovered, mostly from the ponds. The cleanup is still going on.
According to papers from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a spill from a 16-inch-diameter (40-centimeter-diameter) line operated by Collins Pipeline Co. was detected near a levee in St. Bernard Parish, just east of New Orleans, on Dec. 27. The spill had not before been made public.
According to state and federal officials, the spilled fuel damaged soil in an environmentally sensitive location along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a closed canal. According to Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Gregory Langley, a small amount of diesel remaining in the two borrow pits.
Robert “Trey” Iles, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported that the spill killed 2,300 fish and more than 100 other species, including 39 snakes, 32 birds, a few eels, and a blue crab.
He stated about 130 creatures were caught for rehabilitation, including 72 alligators, 23 birds, 20 snakes, and 12 turtles.
PBF Vice President Michael Karlovich told The Associated Press in an email that the company fixed the line for $500,000 and resumed operations last Saturday. He added that an environmental impact assessment is pending.
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