On January 29,2024, at 3:30 PM, the EPA was notified by the
National Response Center (NRC) of a discharge of hydraulic oil of an unknown
amount from a derelict casino boat from the DiamondJacks Casino & Hotel in
Bossier City, Louisiana. According to the Louisiana Oil Spill
Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) and the Louisiana Riverboat Gaming Company, LLC’s
(Responsible Party) clean up contractor, the discharge resulted from heavy
rains and flooding. The derelict casino boat is located within a retention pond
about 100 ft from the Red River. Boom has been deployed by the Responsible Party’s
contractor (RP), but possible discharge into the Red River remains. The exact
volume of discharged oil is unknown.
EPA staff and contractors mobilized to the site and arrived
at approximately 8:00 a.m. January 30. They gathered additional information,
documented cleanup efforts, and determined the threat of discharge to the Red
River. LOSCO mobilized to the incident and commenced coordination with EPA.
EPA began on-site air monitoring at, and downwind of, the spill source
with a hand-held multi-gas MultiRAE meter for primarily volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). If a sustained VOC measurement of 1.0 ppm was observed,
benzene-specific measurements were to be collected using a hand-held UltraRAE
meter. No VOC levels above the instrument detection level of 0.1 ppm were
observed; therefore, no benzene-specific measurements were collected.
The response is being led by the RP, and recovery operations are
currently underway. EPA will continue to provide oversight until the threat of discharge to the Red River no longer
exists.
