Mystery Spill, Near Delta Wildlife Refuge; Mississippi Delta, LA
NOAA initial notification: “A small oil slick estimated at 3 bbls was observed at 29° 21.28’ N Lat. 089° 14.14’ W Long at 1000 hrs (local time). This position places the observed slick approximately 3 miles NW of Main Pass and roughly 6 to 8 miles SSW of Breton Island.”[1]
Latest included source report
Posted 3 Nov 2008
Latest source report
“There was no additional information provided or scientific support requested related to this event; therefore, this entry will serve as the final report unless it is learned that there was appreciable injury or any other new information that would reopen this response hotline. Long sentence that simply means: case closed due to lack of any new information.” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[4]
NOAA report chronology
4 dated source records · 4 Oct 2008 to 3 Nov 2008NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “A small oil slick estimated at 3 bbls was observed at 29° 21.28’ N Lat. 089° 14.14’ W Long at 1000 hrs (local time). This position places the observed slick approximately 3 miles NW of Main Pass and roughly 6 to 8 miles SSW of Breton Island.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.
Milestone 1 of 4: 4 Oct 2008. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “A small oil slick estimated at 3 bbls was observed at 29° 21.28’ N Lat. 089° 14.14’ W Long at 1000 hrs (local time). This position places the observed slick approximately 3 miles NW of Main Pass and roughly 6 to 8 miles SSW of Breton Island.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (29.355°, -89.236°)
Initial Report
Source report excerpt: “On 4 October 2008, the USCG notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator of a small oil slick, estimated at 3 bbls, observed at 29° 21.28’ N Lat. 089° 14.14’ W Long at 1000 hrs (local time). This position places the observed slick approximately 3 miles NW of Main Pass and roughly 6 to 8 miles SSW of Breton Island. A trajectory analysis was requested. The good news is that Breton Island is not at risk. The bad news is that the Delta National Wildlife Refuge is at risk. The risk is only limited by the reported spill volume observed (3 bbl). A second overflight is planned for today.”
Update, 5 Oct.
Source report excerpt: “In a follow up call from the USCG on Saturday evening, it was reported that the slick, was very near the shoreline, but expected to continue to break up. The Delta Nation Wildlife Refuge had been notified. This hotline will remain open pending any reports of impact to the refuge. At present, the source was still unknown. Based on the photographs provided... it didn't appear to be breaking up very fast, but the volume did appear as relatively small. The oil look like it might be a condensate crude due to the reddish brown color. Many of the light condensate crude lack the heavy asphalt fraction characteristic of "black" oils.”
Final Report
Source report excerpt: “There was no additional information provided or scientific support requested related to this event; therefore, this entry will serve as the final report unless it is learned that there was appreciable injury or any other new information that would reopen this response hotline. Long sentence that simply means: case closed due to lack of any new information.”
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Details in the record
- Source record
- NOAA IncidentNews 7901[1]
Reading this account
Automatically assembled from NOAA's incident record and substantive Public Affairs or Situation Update posts. Dates are NOAA posting dates, which can differ from when events happened or original reports were published. Excerpts retain the source's wording and uncertainty. This account does not independently establish the cause, current outcome or safety of the area. NOAA coverage is selective; missing updates do not mean nothing happened. The map shows one approximate incident area, not a vessel track.
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Original sources
Timeline updated 1 Oct 2026. New reports and changes to this NOAA incident are incorporated automatically; this is not a live incident feed.
- 1.Mystery Spill, Near Delta Wildlife Refuge; Mississippi Delta, LA ↗NOAA Office of Response and Restoration · 4 Oct 2008
- 2.Initial Report ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 4 Oct 2008
- 3.Update, 5 Oct. ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 5 Oct 2008
- 4.Final Report ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 3 Nov 2008
Related records in our archive
Original source text, preserved separately from this account.
NOAAORR-7901 NOAA response record
Mystery Spill, Near Delta Wildlife Refuge; Mississippi Delta, LA. Mississippi Delta, LA. 1. A small oil slick estimated at 3 bbls was observed at 29° 21.28’ N Lat. 089° 14.14’ W Long at 1000 hrs (local time). This position places the observed slick approximately 3 miles NW of Main Pass and roughly 6 to 8 miles SSW of Breton Island. 2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: CRUDE OIL. TAGS: MYSTERY SUBSTANCE. 3. POSITION 29.355N 089.236W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 7901: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/7901Open record and warning history →
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