ground water concerns

Valero Energy Meraux refinery ground water contamination concerns in a former solid waste unit and also in near by utility service boxes.


Valero's former solid waste unit was an in-ground unit; since closed, continued monitoring for ground water contamination is performed semiannually. 

February 2016 monitoring detected indicator parameters of concern; with results believed to be anomalous due to error in laboratory analysis; therefore, verification re-sampling conducted.

LDEQ EDMS 101279379

Results showed detections of phenol at 0.0076 milligrams per liter and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) aromatics > C16-C21 at 0.161 mg/l.  The practical quantitation limits for phenol and TPH aromatics >C16-C21 are 0.001 mg/l and 0.15 mg/l, respectively.

In another area of the Valero Energy Meraux, Louisiana plant, recurring seepage of oil into an ATT service box has prompted investigation to identify the source and potential areas of concern for ground water contamination.  Valero Energy seeks appropriate permits and letters of no objection for soil boring --  20 (twenty) 10-foot deep soil borings to be drilled near the Mississippi River Levee. LDEQ EDMS 1014407 and 10088035

emergency flaring

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202163016609750


Valero Energy reports "the management at the Valero Meraux plant reports the refinery was in normal operations", not aware of any operating conditions related to noise, did receive calls related to smoke, but not noise.

Residentially used property and PAH pollution modeling

No Neighborhood should be expected to endure industrial levels of  exposure.

St. Bernard Parish is already disproportionately burdened with pollution that could be reduced with the installation of control technology.

Jacob Drive is a residential street in a pedestrian friendly neighborhood just blocks away from the community's only high school.  It is not uncommon for children to play, ride bikes, or walk together with adults, including walking along Jacob Drive.  Jacob Drive is a school bus route, as is East St Bernard Highway at Jacob. Jacob Drive is home to family, occupied dwellings and is adjacent to the dozens of family homes and apartments on Despaux Drive. Many residents dwell in the family orientated trailer park just across the highway.

 

Jacob Drive is "off property"; it is NOT part of the industrial plant.  The plant "fenceline" is well East of Jacob Drive, East of the municipal storm water canal, and even further east than the pipeline easement now used for parking.   The plant "fenceline" is East of this parking area. So, even the parking area is "off property".

A recently published pollution dispersion report  shows the PAH emission in our neighborhood. Any modeling results for Jacob Drive should be considered off property and in an area where long term exposure to emissions is reasonably anticipated. It is the opinion of concerned citizens that more modeling is required, because the modeling results demonstrated greater than or equal to 75% of the standard at several off property receptors, with some results in the 90 percentage. 

To protect public health, Louisiana DEQ must require this next step and Valero Energy should be a good neighbor and provide for it.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants.  Some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH. PAHs occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning (whether fossil fuel or biomass).(Wikipedia)


This house is adjacent to the area on Jacob Drive where model results exceeded 75% of the standard, also shown in a blue circle area in Figure 7 below.

Below in Figure 7, the area shown in the blue circle on Jacob Drive is adjacent to occupied homes and has some results in the 90 percentage range.
page 17 of 19 in report
http://edms.deq.louisiana.gov/app/doc/view.aspx?doc=9208691&ob=yes&child=yes

Other houses are adjacent to this "blue circle" area, and the pollutants do not magically stop at the circle.

Meraux refinery to have new owners

Valero Energy to purchase the Meraux refinery

more or less on the horizon

FROM 2008   
47302.

INTEGRITY

02/21/08 11:34 AM
The people of St. Bernard deserve to be informed by their elected officials. Residents of District C, who are and have been for many years concerned about the expansion of industrial giants and the poisonous emissions from the manufacture and refining, have indeed been lied to by their elected officials. The stone walling and lies of deception continue to this day. When even one resident asks, " what is being built here?" he has a right to be answered. Our neighbor, Murphy Oil USA is going to build a lab on the site of the old Campagna Skiff Company location. We were NEVER given an opportunity, as a neighbor or neighborhood to examine the plan, ask questions or express our concerns. To offer input now is obviously an insult. As I stated before it was a done deal. Probably years in the making between our government and that industrial giant. Encroachment. A nasty word. But it is happening. Murphy, in moving it's lab from the river side of St. Bernard Hwy (probably to expand it's plant) now finds that the location where they plan to build the new lab is not large enough to accommodate parking. They want to (ENCROACH) on to residential property. They want a zone change. After everything said about greenspace, and bufferzone. Our government continues to play along with the plan. The Murphy plan.Our parish president and council members as well as zoning and planning commissions need to remember who pays them. Or is that exactly what they are doing?

 

The refinery was originally located on the other side of the highway and the land behind the neighborhood was not zoned for industrial use.  Then over the years there were a series of wise decisions to allow more and more industrial zoning changes further and further away from the river and into the backyards of our community. The processing plant doubled in the 1970's and several large additions including a clean fuels process began in the late 1990's early 2000's. How did the Parish ever allow these units to be constructed so close to family dwellings??

 

Let's not make the same mistake again with warehouses, administration buildings, parking etc. on Jacob Drive; that land was purchased with the pretense of a green zone buffer and a good neighbor would honor that agreement.  Any other use makes the Parish further liable.

 

 

Above, EPA Region VI map of oil spill

Notice the area just west of the processing plant was not "in the oil spill" but this is the area most often pushed by parish officials to participate in the buyup.

 

 

Above, SBPG map of oil spill