Published on Thursday, May 27, 2010 by the Associated Press
ROBERT, La. - Scientists studying the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico now say it's leaking at least twice as much oil and possibly five times as much as original estimates.
![[In
this May, 23, 2010 photo provided by the Plaquemines Parish, La.
Government, a dead oil-covered dolphin lies on the ground in Venice, La.
(AP Photo/Plaquemines Parish Government) ]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/millions.jpg "millions.jpg")
In this May, 23, 2010 photo provided by the Plaquemines Parish, La. Government, a dead oil-covered dolphin lies on the ground in Venice, La. (AP Photo/Plaquemines Parish Government) U.S. Geological Survey Director Dr. Marcia McNutt is the leader of a team put together to try to figure out how much oil is coming from the well.
She says results are preliminary but two teams using different methods determined the well is leaking at least 504,000 gallons a day.
One team said it might be leaking as much as 798,000 gallons and another said that number might be closer to a million gallons.
The well blew out when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20.
BP and the Coast Guard had said since then that about 210,000 gallons a day was flowing.
She says results are preliminary but two teams using different methods determined the well is leaking at least 504,000 gallons a day.
One team said it might be leaking as much as 798,000 gallons and another said that number might be closer to a million gallons.
The well blew out when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20.
BP and the Coast Guard had said since then that about 210,000 gallons a day was flowing.
© 2010 Associated Press
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