NEWSROOM
Marine
Debris Project To Be Rescheduled
June 23, 2006
The volunteer-based
Marine Debris Marking & Mapping Project on Calcasieu Lake,
Moss Lake and West Cove scheduled for Saturday, June 24, has been
postponed due to adverse environmental conditions and ongoing
clean-up operations surrounding the 70,000 barrel oil and wastewater
spill at CITGO’s Indian Marais on-site drainage facility.
The event will be rescheduled in July.
“Given
the current environmental conditions, with approximately 15,000
barrels contained as of Wednesday, June 21, visible sheen located
at the Calcasieu Point Landing, and coupled with the volunteer
orientation of this effort—the current risk to boaters was
simply too uncertain,” said Louisiana Sea Grant’s
Port Specialist Justin Farrell. Closures that affect the project
include the Calcasieu Ship Channel and Moss Lake. Additionally,
it was uncertain whether additional closures would be forthcoming.
Heavy rainfall
in the Lake Charles area earlier in the week caused flooding and
problems at CITCO’s waste water storage tank area and secondary
containments. The official cause of the spill remains under investigation.
In response to on-going recovery and containment efforts on the
Calcasieu Ship Channel, the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill
Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO), and the CITGO Lake Charles
Manufacturing Complex have created a Unified Incident Command.
Likewise, CITGO has established the following hotline at (800)
213-5540 and a direct line for claims relating to boat cleaning
at (337) 708-7177.
Hurricane
Rita scattered residential, industrial and vegetative debris throughout
the estuary system, creating a hazard for recreational and commercial
boaters, as well as their vessels and gear. In an attempt to make
the lake safer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
(Louisiana Sea Grant), Coastal Conservation Association (CCA),
Lake Charles Power Squadron, LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Lake Charles Pilots continue
to move toward marking and mapping as much of the marine debris
as possible.
Anyone with
information or data on known marine debris locations are asked
to contact Tim Osborn, Tim.Osborn@noaa.gov,
(337) 291-2111; Justin Farrell, jfarrell@lsu.edu
or (225) 578-6348; or Kevin Savoie, KSavoie@agcenter.lsu.edu,
(337) 475-8812; or visit www.laseagrant.org/debris.
Project updates will also be posted to this site.
This effort
is made possible with involvement of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey
with the funding and support of NOAA's Marine Debris Program,
which is part of the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (National
Ocean Service). The NOAA Marine Debris Program works with other
NOAA offices and partners to support national, state, local and
international efforts to protect and conserve our nation’s
natural resources and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine
debris.
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