Louisiana Superfund Site: Old Inger Oil Refinery
Fight Air Pollution & Water Pollution With an Environmental Toxic Tort Lawsuit
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Are you in need of a Toxic Tort Lawyer in The Pelican State? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated Old Inger Oil Refinery in Louisiana as a Superfund site because of its amounts of toxic pollution and danger to the environment. You can read the report for the site below.
Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.
Living near Superfund Sites in Louisiana may place you and your loved ones at risk of developing a disease from proximity to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but you can do something to to fight back: The EPA says,
[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.Even so, most of the Superfund sites continue to pose a threat the health of those near-by.
By choosing Weitz & Luxenberg, you can trust the legal ability of skilled Toxic Tort attorneys who will help fight back against polluters and win you and your community the compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Old Inger Oil Refinery Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to exposure to a Superfund site Old Inger Oil Refinery, or if your property has lost value because of pollution, you are better off with a toxic tort attorney who knows the people of the State of Louisiana . You can begin the process of filing a claim by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within 24 hours. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, click here to let them know about the environmental toxic tort lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Old Inger Oil Refinery
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Old Inger Oil Refinery1EPA Publication Date: Sep 6, 2005
Old Inger Oil
Refinery
Louisiana
Epa Id# Lad980745533
Site ID: 0600572
Epa Region 6
Congressional District 03
Ascension Parish
Other Names:
Darrow Oil
Updated: August 2005
Site Description
Location:
Between Highway 75 and the Mississippi River, Ascension Parish, midway between
Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
4.5 miles north of Darrow.
Population:
19,500 people live within 10 miles of site.
Setting:
Rural, adjacent to the Mississippi River levee.
Nearest residence is 0.3 miles south of the site.
Nearest drinking water well is 0.5 miles south of the site.
Area is generally flat and subject to water-ponding during heavy rains.
Hydrology:
The site soil profile consists predominantly of silty and sandy clays, silts, and fine
sands to a depth of about 115-to-125 feet.
Ground water is encountered generally at a depth of 6-to-12 feet and rises to within a
few feet of the ground surface.
The horizontal ground water gradient is thought to vary during the year, but generally
is anticipated to be away from the Mississippi River and to be less than one foot per year.
The vertical gradient varies during the year, but is generally downward, away from the
River, and is estimated to be fairly steep during average Mississippi River flow
conditions.
Present Status and Issues
The State is evaluating current ground water conditions after the removal of the original lagoons, the
construction of the LTU, excavation and treatment of contaminated soils, and site backfilling with the
treated soils (current closure). These studies required the installation of monitoring wells and several
rounds of sampling to establish if further action is needed.
The State’s Contract and Grants Department prepared the required Scope of Services documents for the
installation of the wells.
The State installed the monitoring wells in 2004. The fifth quarterly report on groundwater monitoring
sampling was completed in May 2005 by the State Contractor, Shaw Environmental.
Photographs showing current and past conditions before the remedial actions, are available in the EPA
Internet pages at URL http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/6sf-la.htm
Old Inger Oil Refinery2EPA Publication Date: Sep 6, 2005
Wastes and Volumes
1. Principal Pollutants:
Polynuclear aromatic compounds (ex; 49,000 parts per billion (ppb) phenanthrene in sediment).
Heavy metals (ex; 130 ppm zinc - sediment).
Site Assessment and Ranking
Npl Listing History
Site HRS Score: 48.98
Proposed Date: 13/30/82
Final Date: 9/8/83
NPL Update: No. Original
Site Map and Diagram
The Remediation Process
Site History:
1967 - began operations as an oil refinery.
1976 - site was obtained by Old Inger Oil Refinery for use as an oil reclamation plant for refinery
Old Inger Oil
Refinery
3EPA Publication Date: September 6, 2005waste; waste oil brought to the site by barge and by truck.
1978 - large spill occurred and the site was sold shortly thereafter.
1980 - site was abandoned.
April 1983 - August 1988, five emergency removal actions were conducted to stabilize the site to
include: site security, migration control, excavation and containment of consolidated soils, sampling and
analysis.
The site was on hold while resolving land ban issues with EPA Headquarters. On October 29, 1987,
Headquarters submitted an approval with revisions to the original design. The Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ) Cooperative Agreement was amended in the amount of $340,000, for the
addition of liner, expanded ground water study, and associated engineering. This was awarded June
1988. Additional remedial action (RA) funds of $1,646,308 were awarded to LDEQ on September 29,
1989.
The RA contract for construction of the land treatment bioremediation unit was awarded 9/29/89. This
first phase, Phase IV-A, started in 1990 and was completed in 1992.
Supplemental ground water study began March 1990 under an Interagency Agreement Grant (IAG)
with the U.S. Corps of Engineers (USACE).
The EPA met with the State in February 1997 to expedite the schedule for proceeding with contract
bids and implementation of the soils remedy (Second Phase or Phase IV-B and IV-C). The remedy
includes on-site land treatment of heavily contaminated soils and sludges.
Construction bid packages were advertised at the end of April 1997.
The State planned to award the contracts for Second Phase of the remedial action by late 1997. A
merge between the tentatively selected engineering oversight contractor and the land treatment (waste
application) contractor, forced the State to re-evaluate the contracting scheme.
On May 6, 1998, LDEQ faxed a Notice to Proceed to OHM Remediation Services, to act as the Waste
Application Contractor.
On May 7, 1998, LDEQ faxed a letter tentatively awarding Rust Environment & Infrastructure the new
engineering oversight contract.
Mobilization and start-up of remedial action ( Phase IV-B and IV-C) started in fall 1998. This included
setting up equipment, air monitoring, excavation, screening of soils, removal of tanks.
Application of the first layer or lift of contaminated soils to the bioremediation or Land Treatment Unit
(LTU) started in December 1998. Soil mixing, tilling and operational activities also started on the LTU in
December 1998.
As of August 18, 1999, fifty-eight thousand tons of soils were excavated and screened or processed
through the Trommel screen system.
As of March 2000, the majority of the excavated soils were treated on the LTU.
Dismantling and removal of the on-site water treatment plant was completed in 2002. This unit was
designed to handle surface run-off water and leachate collected under the LTU.
After the bioremediation of soils, the site was graded, capped and seeded. Remedial activities under
Phase VI-B and VI-C were completed in October 2001.
Drilling and installation of new monitoring wells started in 2004 and the first round of quarterly
sampling completed in March 2004 by the state. Monitoring activities continue by the state and the state
contractor. (See present status and issues.)
Health Considerations:
Ground water in area used for drinking.
Surface water used for irrigation.
Other Environmental Risks:
Ground water and soils are contaminated to a depth of 40 feet and 6 feet, respectively, by organic
chemicals.
EPA Publication Date: September 6, 20054OLD INGER OIL
Refinery
Record of Decision
Signed: September 25, 1984
Remedy:
Close and seal an ungrouted on site well.
Pump and treat shallow ground water via carbon absorption.
Carbon adsorption treatment and discharge off site of contaminated surface waters on site.
In situ containment and capping of slightly contaminated soils & sludge.
On site land treatment of contaminated soils and sludge Treatment will include synthetic liner (per 10-
29-87 HQ decision).
Other Remedies Considered
Reason Not Chosen
1.Deep well disposal of
contaminated fluidsCost
2.Off site disposalCost; non-permanent remedy
3.On site landfillPossibility of major release if levee fails
4.No actionPoses threat to public health and the environment
Community Involvement
Outreach activities: Responsibility of LDEQ
Community Involvement Plan: Developed 11/82; Revised 4/85, 4/90.
Open houses and workshops: 01/90, Video 11/90, 10/24/98.
Original Proposed Plan Fact Sheet and Public Meeting: 6/84
Original ROD Fact Sheet: 10/84
Milestone Fact Sheets: 4/85, 12/88, 10/89
Citizens on site mailing list: 65
Constituency Interest: Most complaints are about odors
Site Repository: Ascension Parish Library - Gonzales.
Technical Assistance Grant
Availability Notice: May 1988
Letters of Intent Received:
1) 6/18/88 from Ascension Superfund Koalition (ASK).
Final Application Received: 2/23/92
Grant Award: Signed by EPA on 05/28/92, accepted by applicant on 3/9/94
Status: No funds were drawn down. Grant has been annulled and was closed 6/19/98.
.
Remedial Project Manager: Bartolome J Cañellas, 214/665-6662, EPA (6SF-LP)
State Contact: Tom Stafford, 504/765-0487, LDEQ
Community Involvement: Bartolome J Cañellas, 214/665-6662, EPA (6SF-LP)
Attorney: Gloria Small-Moran, 214/665-3193, EPA (6RC-S)
State Coordinator: Kathy Ketcher, 214-665-7196, EPA (6SF-LT)
Old Inger Oil
Refinery
5EPA Publication Date: September 6, 2005Regional Public Liaison: Arnold Ondarza 1-800-533-3508, EPA (6SF)
Prime Contractor (First Phase ): State Contractor - IT Corp. - (design and oversight)
Westinghouse Haztech, Inc. - (construction)
(Second Phase): State Contractor - Rust Engineering - (engineering oversight)
OHM Remediation Services - (waste application)
Enforcement
None
Benefits
The immediate actions taken to reduce the contamination in the pits and lagoons and to limit site access
reduced the potential for contact with site contamination and the further spread of contaminated materials.
These initial cleanup actions reduced possible exposure pathways and further environmental impact while
long-term cleanup activities proceed.
source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. Louisiana law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!
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