US agencies scramble to contain massive oil leak from decades-old well: 'We owe it to our communities'

A tri-agency effort between the U.S. Coast Guard, Spectrum OpCo, LLC, and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office helped contain a weeklong oil-and-gas well leak located at the border of a Louisiana parish at the Gulf of Mexico, according to The Business Journal.
The oil spill was first reported April 26 as coming from the shut-in of a natural oil and gas well, known as Well #59, per the Coast Guard's first update in a series of press releases on the incident.
This well, owned by Spectrum OpCo, had been inactive since 2016 and had not had measurable oil pressure since the 1990s, according to CBS News. The well remained idle for nearly a decade, but it had not been permanently plugged or sealed for abandonment.
Within 24 hours of the confirmed spill, nearly 100 responders were actively working to contain the oil leak and minimize damage. The emergency response included the use of skimmers, containment boom barriers, and absorbent booms to prevent the spread of oil, which could damage nearby marshes and islands.
By the time the three agencies, dubbed "Unified Command," gained control of the discharge — a week after the first report — the response teams had recovered nearly 71,000 gallons of crude oil and natural gas water mixture from Garden Island Bay.
Per the Coast Guard's final press release, there have been four reports of oiled birds and one oiled alligator observed. Three of the birds were captured for rehabilitation, and one has since been freed.
While not a regular occurrence, oil spills do happen, and each incident causes significant, long-term damage to marine habitats and marine life.
The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill that happened in the very same region in 2010 caused $17.2 billion in damage to natural resources, according to a Virginia Tech article.
A recent landslide in Ecuador has resulted in a large oil spill in the Esmeraldas River, which the Esmeraldas province mayor described as "unprecedented."
Crude oil spills, which contain toxic volatile organic compounds, contaminate bodies of water with extremely dangerous and toxic chemical substances harmful to human health and marine life. Communities living near an oil spill site may be at higher risk of cancer because of exposure to these toxic compounds. In marine life, exposure to VOCs may cause stunted growth, immune system defects, and even death, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Oil-coated marine life, such as seabirds and otters, may find it difficult to fly or keep warm as the oil may strip the fur of its insulating properties.
Taking inspiration from a sea sponge known by its common name, the Venus flower basket, researchers from China's Harbin Institute of Technology have replicated a vortex-anchored filter, with the sponge's architecture that allows the device to filter out oil particles in water.
Russian scientists have developed a sniffing machine, or an e-nose, to help detect oil spills in soil. This device is at least 20 times more cost-effective at detecting oil incidents than current lab equipment.
Cleaning up large oil spills will require a collaborative effort on all levels of government and various agencies. "We owe it to our communities, our environment, and our future generations to safeguard Louisiana's coast — before it's too late," said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, per The Business Journal.
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