Officials Trying To Clean Oil Spill Northwest Of Baton Rouge

An oil spill over the weekend leaves crews trying to clean up nearly 80,000 barrels worth of it.

The crude oil is coming from a 22-inch pipeline in a rural Pointe Coupee Parish town, about 23 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. ExxonMobil Pipeline Company says they are investigating. The pipeline carries oil from St. James Parish to north Louisiana.

The cleanup effort is being coordinated by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. DEQ spokesperson Rodney Mallett says the company doesn't know yet what caused the pipeline to break. Mallett says the pipeline spill was quickly contained in a drainage canal.

Mallett says there is no timeline on when the cleanup will be complete. He says the spill poses no threat to human health.