Oil Spill Reported Near Venice, Louisiana

The U.S. Coast Guard is working with a pipeline operator to clean up a small pipeline spill near Venice, Louisiana. 

Last Wednesday, an overflight near the pipeline spotted a sheen on the water. The source was identified as a crude oil pipeline belonging to Texas Petroleum Investment Company (TPIC).

TPIC shut down the pipeline on Thursday and began to organize a response. The line had discharged an estimated 1,000 gallons of oil, and TPIC brought in several spill response contractors to remediate the pollution. The spill amounted to a 13-mile-long sheen with some streaks of recoverable oil, the Coast Guard said. 

TPIC repaired the pipeline by the end of the day, and it was back in service on Friday without further difficulties. The service conducted follow-up overflights on Friday and Saturday, and detected no new signs of a sheen. 

No injuries, wildlife effects or shoreline impact have been reported. 

The Venice spill appears to have resolved quickly, but a far larger spill that occurred in November still remains unsolved. On Nov. 17, a separate oil release was reported near the Main Pass Oil Gathering Co. pipeline off the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta. The total amount was estimated at 1.1 million gallons. However, the operator has been unable to find any damage to the pipeline, and the line remains shut down while the search continues, according to the Houston Chronicle.