CLEANUP OF A 32,000-BARREL CRUDE OIL SPILL AT THE WEST HACKBERRY DOME STORAGE SITE IN LOUISIANA1

ABSTRACT At 4:00 p.m. on September 21, 1978, a fire and major oil spill occurred at the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in West Hackberry, Louisiana. Five days later, the fire was extinguished and within another two days, more than 30,000 barrels of oil had been recovered from the adjoining lake. History will record the event as a serious accident that resulted in one death and an injury, but a closer look will reveal one bright spot—an effective oil spill cleanup operation.