A 1½-in. jumper increases flow about three-to-five times more than a ¾-in. jumper. Not only do undersized jumpers reduce flow, they also cause unusually long heat-up times at a cold startup.

According to the new, upper-end calculation from the flow rate team, that total could be as high as 109.2 million gallons. There's a reason the oil giant is being so cagey about the spill's true size.