Oil Slick Near Venice, Louisiana – Leaking Platform Location
Last night Jonathan Henderson of Gulf Restoration Network texted me the location coordinates where he shot the photos yesterday of an actively leaking platform in Breton Sound that may be the source of the oil slick reported over the past few days. Here’s the location he provided:
That’s in the northwest corner of Breton Sound Block 33, very close to the border with Main Pass Block 26, in Louisiana state waters. We’re working to identify the structure and operator. It’s about 7 miles northwest of the oil sample taken by National Wildlife Federation on June 8 that tested positive as relatively fresh South Louisiana crude oil. It’s certainly possible that an oil slick could drift that far from the source, but it’s also possible there is another source for the Venice oil slick. Better satellite imagery (radar, please!) could help clarify this situation. We’re looking for additional imagery of this area.
Here’s an updated map showing all of the relevant locations we’ve been discussing in this blog (as always, click for a bigger version):