The ongoing flow is now projected > 200,000 gallons per day - 5 times original estimate. The slick at its present size is nearly enough to cover the whole of our Long Island Sound + 200,000 per day ongoing.
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New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- The U.S. military may be called on to assist authorities scrambling to mitigate a potential environmental disaster posed by an oil spill expanding toward the Gulf Coast, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

In addition, another controlled burn of the oil slick may be conducted, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Erik Swanson said.

"We're preparing as many resources as possible," Swanson said, "and we're considering many different options."

Those options include bringing in the Department of Defense, he said. The military could be enlisted to drop or spray more dispersants on the oil, although specifics are still being developed, Swanson said.

Officials said late Wednesday the estimated amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from three underwater leaks after last week's oil rig explosion has increased to as many as 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day -- five times more than what was initially believed.