Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Sept. 20, 2008

Contact: 
(225) 436-8542

Coast Guard and partners continue to respond to 202 reports of pollution along Gulf Coast

HOUSTON - The Coast Guard continues to work Saturday with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas General Land Office, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to assess and expedite the cleanup of pollution that resulted from Hurricane Ike.

The agencies have identified 156 sites with reports of pollution in the Houston-Galveston area and 46 sites of pollution in the Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles, La., area.

Assessment teams investigate reports of possible cases of pollution and prioritize the cleanup efforts. Once a reported case is confirmed, the teams work to identify the source and try to notify a responsible party (RP). If a RP is identified, that party may hire a contractor to secure the source of the spill and clean up the pollution. If no RP is identified, the government team hires a spill contractor to clean up the pollution. Recovery teams then oversee the contract cleanup efforts.

The Coast Guard has approximately 50 responders on scene assessing the extent of the spills and working to mitigate them. More than 1,500 Coast Guardsmen are involved in the Hurricane Ike response, including an incident command staff, logistics support, pollution experts and aids-to-navigation restoration teams.

###

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.