Pipeline Break; Ramah, Louisiana

Ramah, Louisiana | 1999-Jul-30

Initial Notification: MSO New Orleans received a report of an oil spill in Ramah, Louisiana at a facility owned by Bridas Energy of Houston, Texas. The spill site was located approximately 5 miles south of Interstate 10 on the east side of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway Levee. A 3-inch transfer line carrying crude oil and production water cracked and spilled an estimated 100 barrels of crude oil onto the facility. Once the leak was discovered, the line was shut in and a small dam was constructed to contain the oil in the drainage ditch. An undetermined amount of oil entered Bayou Henry through this ditch. Fortunately, there was little or no current in the bayou and the oil was contained between two sets of booms. Response personnel were dispatched from MSD Baton Rouge to act as FOSC. The owner of the facility hired Cenac Environmental to clean up the spilled oil. Herding the oil with water hoses into boom and drum skimmer resulted in effective oil recovery in the bayou. The cleanup crews used a combination of flushing and sorbent pads to clean the oiled shoreline. USCG district 8. Keyword: boom, drum skimmer, sorbent pads, vacuum truck.