Date: Aug. 5, 2008

Contact:  Joint Information Center
(504) 393-0372

MISSISSIPPI RIVER OIL SPILL RESPONSE UPDATE

NEW ORLEANS  - The salvage of the DM 932 barge that spilled oil into the Mississippi River continues Wednesday as crews pump the remaining oil from its tanks.

More than 109,000 gallons of an oil and water mixture have been pumped from the barge. When pumping is complete, the next steps will be to cut the wreckage into manageable sections and lift the pieces out of the water.

Cleanup of the river has progressed to the point that shoreline cleanup and assessment teams can focus their efforts on remaining impacted areas closer to the incident site.  Crews working downriver have been relocated to areas upriver in order to better supplement work that is in progress.

Due to successful mitigation efforts, waterway management personnel are reassessing the current vessel-safety restrictions on the Mississippi River. As areas of the river are determined to be less contaminated, the current safety zone will be modified.  Mariners are encouraged to maintain the slowest safe speed to minimize wake.

Sixteen birds, six reptiles and six mammals have been captured for cleaning. Three birds, one turtle and one alligator were cleaned and released back into the wild.  

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