At Pass a Loutre, oil seeps deep into Louisiana marshlands as booms fail

[Barrett808]

PASS A LOUTRE, Louisiana — Thick black oil hung in the water and stained the bases of the roseau cane at Pass a Loutre, a shrinking patch of Louisiana's fragile wetlands where crude from the BP spill first hit land and began seeping deep into the fragile marshes.

Three rows of boom laid in front of the marshes, which lie 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the port of Venice and accessible only by boat, appeared to serve little purpose, and if anything were corralling the oil up against the wetlands' plants, not keeping it away.

Coastal scientist Angelina Freeman dipped an amber-colored jar into the oily water to take a sample. …

In the emotionless way of a scientist, Freeman described the oil inside the jar -- "very black, sort of chocolate-syrupy, really thick" -- but also uttered a few "wows" of disbelief. …

Freeman was distressed by what she saw, by the heavy smell of oil, by the sight of men in hazmat suits skimming thick oil off the surface of the water.

She was upset at seeing no sign of life at Pass a Loutre, a wildlife management area, and that the booms laid to protect the marshes had failed miserably.

"It's upsetting that the oil is inside the boom. It seems to be trapped inside the wetlands, where tidal flushing could help take it off the marshes," said Freeman, who works for the Environmental Defense Fund.

At Pass a Loutre, oil seeps deep into Louisiana marshlands as booms fail

[niceypoo]

1. RIP Gulf of Mexico