PRESS RELEASE

Louisiana Confirms Presence of Tar Balls at South Pass

BATON ROUGE (May 12, 2010) - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has confirmed the presence of tar balls at South Pass in Plaquemines Parish. Tar balls are sticky, dark-colored pieces of oil that occur after weatherization changes the physical characteristics of floating oil.

LDWF technicians working with oil spill response crews on boom maintenance around Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management Area (WMA) spotted the tar balls that had washed ashore on the southeast side of the WMA .

The state continues to monitor coastal conditions and will assess any potential damage to Louisiana's coast and wetlands as impacts are reported.

Click here for a photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep/4600739587/

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