Date: July 31, 2008, 10:00 a.m

Contact:  Joint Information Center
(504) 393-0372

  MISSISSIPPI RIVER OIL SPILL RESPONSE UPDATE 

NEW ORLEANS - Efforts to clean up and contain up to 420,000 gallons of oil spilled in the Mississippi River continue Wednesday.     

The following is the latest information:

• Vessel traffic is allowed, with restrictions, in the vicinity of Algiers Point from mile marker 93 to 95 while responders continue work to contain the secondary discharge from the barge that occurred Wednesday.
• Water intakes downriver of the Crescent City Connection have been re-opened.
• The Unified Command is prepositioning a High Volume Open Sea Skimmer (HOSS), a Clean Gulf and Associates vessel, near the barge 932 Thursday morning as a stand-by response asset during barge lifting operations.
• More than 115,000 gallons of an oil/water mix has been recovered to date.
   
• More than 2,000 responders are currently deployed throughout the region affected by the spill.
• Field responders are using three tugs, 159 work boats, four barges, 20 skimmers and 13 vacuum trucks on scene to clean up the spill.
• Approximately 155,000 feet of containment boom and sorbent boom is deployed.
• A plan to salvage the barge has been approved and is being implemented.
• 120 vessels have been decontaminated and released and operations are accelerating.
• The Unified Command is working diligently to ensure personal safety, to expedite pollution cleanup and to resume commercial traffic as soon as possible.
• An incident Web site has been established at www.neworleansoilspill.com
• Oiled wildlife can be reported by calling 504-393-0353.

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