(Update) Charenton-area oil spill pegged at 11,500

CHARENTON -- A contractor is cleaning up about 11,500 gallons of oil that overflowed from a tank being filled in south Louisiana, the Coast Guard said Tuesday.

Lt. j.g. Lisa Siebert said much of the oil was on the ground rather than nearby Bayou Teche, so the Environmental Protection Agency took over the investigation and cleanup supervision.

A stretch of the 135-mile-long waterway remained closed to commercial traffic, she said. Investigators don't know how much oil got into the water.

Louisiana State Police Haz Mat evaluated the Bayou Teche oil spill this morning and lifted the shelter in place advisory for residents, St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Traci Landry said in a news release.

La. 87 is now open. The portion of Bayou Teche affected by the spill, near the Adeline Bridge in the Charenton area, is off limits and is closed to vessel traffic until further notice for cleanup operations.

The area affected on the Bayou Teche is between Jeanerette and Charenton.

The sheriff’s office is asking people to stay out of the bayou.

Agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard and Louisiana State Police Hazardous Material Unit are also responding. In addition, water plants along the Teche were notified.

Watch standers with Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City received a call on Monday from PSC Industrial Outsourcing reporting an unknown amount of crude oil spilled into the Teche .

An oil boom is in place to contain the spill. Response crews deployed more than 200 yards of boom.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation. None of the reporting agencies has released the person or company whose facility is responsible for the spill.