Parish President Mitch Orgeron and our Federal, State and Local emergency response partners announce that the wellhead has been secured, recovery and cleanup operations underway in Golden Meadow. The Unified Command has confirmed that efforts to secure the natural gas wellhead release in the marsh southeast of Golden Meadow, Louisiana were successfully completed today. Response crews, led by Cudd Well Control, safely stopped the flow of natural gas and brought the well under control.
With the well secured, operations have transitioned from well control to environmental cleanup. Federal, Local and State personnel remain on scene overseeing air and water monitoring, boom maintenance, and removal of residual material in the environment area. Teams are maintaining and repositioning boom and conducting shoreline cleanup operations. Approximately 7,700 feet of containment boom remains deployed to prevent the spread of surface sheen.
A 1,000-foot workplace safety zone is in effect around the wellhead site for personnel engaged in recovery and cleanup operations. This zone is limited to responders and is not expected to affect Bayou Lafourche or Highway 1. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) established over the site remains in effect to protect response crews and aircraft operating in the area.
The Unified Command consisting of Coast Guard, Castex Energy Inc, and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators Office (LOSCO) established a Unified Command with support from NOAA, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Conservation and Energy, Environmental Quality, State Police, Lafourche Parish Government, as well as Witt O’Briens, Cudd Well Control, and ES&H and will continue coordinating response operations.
The Unified Command extends its appreciation to all responding agencies, local partners, and community members for their cooperation and support throughout the response and recovery efforts.
