CHARENTON—– The Louisiana State Police Hazardous Material Unit reopened Louisiana 87 at 6:45 a.m. today and lifted a shelter advisory for Charenton residents due to an oil spill on Louisiana 182 and Louisiana 87 from the Sorrel Bridge to one mile east of the Adeline Bridge.
The portion of the Bayou Teche near the spill is “absolutely off limits and is closed to vessel traffic,” St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Traci Landry said in a written statement this morning.
State Police Troop I spokesman Brooks David said State Police believe the source of the oil was something on land, but crews still are trying to confirm. A 135-mile long stretch of the Bayou Teche is closed still. David said no estimated time has been set to reopen the bayou to boat traffic.
The Sheriff’s Office received a call concerning substance in the water at 5:30 p.m. Monday. The spill was reported by PSC Industrial Outsourcing about 8 p.m. Monday.
Deputies cut off the source of the spill, reported to be a tank being filled along the shoreline, and crews deployed more than 200 yards of oil boom, according to The Associated Press.
The state Department of Environmental Quality, The U.S. Coast Guard, The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and various fire departments responded, according to the Sheriff’s Office.