South Louisiana oil spill stretches three miles, officials say "secured."

Update, 4:29 p.m.: The Lafourche Parish Facebook Page has been designated as the official source of info for the Raceland oil spill. A hotline was established for wildlife affected by the spill. Crescent Midstream Public Information Officer Michael Smith, encouraged residents who see wildlife impacted by the oil spill are encouraged to call (832) 514-9663.

3:04 p.m., July 27: The Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District has asked all customers within Lafourche Parish to refrain from unessential uses of water.

"At this time... the oil has not affected our treatment process," the notice said. "If this changes, customers will be notified immediately."

According to the Lafourche Parish Government, the bayou is closed to mariners from the LA 182 bridge in Raceland to the Salt Water Control Structure in Lockport.

Main Story:

A black muck stretched three miles down Bayou Lafourche after a crude oil leak invaded local waterways.

Crescent Midstream Public Information Officer Michael Smith, on scene at the spill, said the company is investigating a leak that occurred sometime before 9 a.m., Saturday, July 27, that made its way into the main source of drinking water for Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish. The sheen could be seen from the 4000 block of LA 308, down to Central Lafourche High School.

Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District Director Dustin Rabalais said the spill was caught early enough that it does not pose a threat to drinking water.

“We’ve already been in touch with the water districts and they’re all aware,” Rabalais said.

But the spill could be smelled long before it was seen.

“The police came up here and I thought they had found somebody’s body floatin’, and then I smelled the stuff right when I come out of my door this mornin’,” Bruce “Mike” Cleveland said. He lives just downstream of where the spill originated, and said he smelled it around 7 a.m.

Smith said the spill has now been secured, and it’s currently unknown exactly how much escaped their facility. Crews from a multitude of environmental companies were arriving on scene cleaning up the spill, around noon, and according to Chaisson it will take, "A good, solid few hours."

“We’re going to continue to deploy all the assets that might be needed to first of all contain and then to clean up the crude oil,” Smith said. “As the responsible party that’s what we are going to do and that’s what our commitment is. And however long that takes, it takes.”

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Raceland oil spill stretches three miles, officials say "secured."