Draft Restoration Plan for Gretna/DM 932 Oil Spill in Mississippi River out for Public Comment

MAY 24, 2021 — On May 20, 2021 NOAA and our partners released a Draft Restoration and Environmental Assessment plan for the Gretna/DM 932 Mississippi RIver oil spill. The plan proposes projects to restore habitats impacted by the oil spill on the Mississippi River near downtown New Orleans.

Aerial view of an oil spill in a river.
Two days after the spill occurred, oil had spread nearly 100 miles downriver, and carried into forested habitat making oil recovery and cleanup difficult. Image credit: NOAA.

Public comments on the draft plan are open through June 21, 2021. Please see the DARRP web story for information on how to submit comments.

The Gretna/DM 932 oil spill occurred on July 23, 2008, when the chemical tanker Tintomara collided with the fuel Barge DM 932 on the Mississippi River. The collision caused the barge to split into two sections and spill approximately 280,000 gallons of oil into the river.

The Draft Restoration plan proposes restoration alternatives including a project which would provide for the acquisition and legal protection of approximately 650-acres of contiguous coastal forested wetland habitat in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and the construction of a 9-acre crevasse splay project in the Pass-A-Loutre State Wildlife Management Area.

The trustees also propose to utilize settlement funds to develop projects to enhance recreational fishing access, infrastructure, and human-use opportunities.

For more information please contact Kevin.Kirsch@noaa.gov.

Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:43pm PST