ARABI, La. — Thousands of gallons of oil were released in Arabi after someone may have vandalized or stolen parts from a de-energized Entergy substation.
According to a spokesperson from Entergy, about 20,000 gallons of oil was released from a de-energized substation in Arabi on Sunday and it has now seeped into the marshes of Bayou Bienvenue.
The substation, located near Benjamin Street, has been de-energized since an EF-3 tornado hit in March.
Entergy says some of the oil has entered adjacent open water and is also present along the shoreline.
“The released oil does not contain PCBs…the resultant oil sheen appears to be consolidated, intact, and contained within a floating containment boom,” Brandon Scardigli, Communications Manager of Entergy Louisiana, said.
The valves to two large oil-filled transformers are missing, leading them to suspect criminal activity to be the cause of the oil spill. The spill is estimated to have occurred on Friday or Saturday. St. Bernard Parish Police are investigating the incident.
Scardigli says Entergy immediately notified Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, St. Bernard Parish Local Emergency Planning Committee, and the U.S. National Response Center.
Entergy’s Environmental Management team is working to clean up the spill. The American Pollution Control Corp. (AMPOL) is the spill response contractor for onsite remediation.
Entergy says they are working with the local government and environmental agencies.
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