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Case: Chevron/Former Gulf Oil Refinery Port Arthur
waste site
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Site History: The Chevron/Former Gulf Oil Refinery waste site
has been impacted by historical releases of hazardous substances from the
refinement of oil located on the site. The refinery has been in operation since
the discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1902. Operations at the Site have
included crude oil refining, lubricant oil and chemical manufacturing, and
product distribution. Products produced at the Site historically include
gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, fuel oils, naphtha, and petrochemicals.
Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and
copper were identified as exceeding designated criteria in the surface water
and sediments in the Joint Outfall Canal, in on-site ponded wetland habitats,
in the North Marsh, and in other on-site water bodies, and are therefore the
contaminants of concern (COCs) for this Site. Chevron worked cooperatively with
the natural resource trustees to assess the potential for injuries or losses in
the environment attributed to releases and to determine the need for
compensatory restoration.
Location: Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas
Trustees:
Case status:
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Remedial investigation and injury assessment are complete
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Restoration planning is complete
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Remediation of the site is complete
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Legal consent decree is complete
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Restoration implementation is complete
Overview: The Gulf Oil Company built and began operating a
refinery at this site around 1902 to refine Spindletop crude oil. In 1984,
Chevron acquired Gulf Oil Corporation. Premcor Refining Group, Inc. (Premcor)
purchased the refinery in 1995 from Chevron. The refinery is currently owned
and operated by Valero and today it refines 325,000 barrels per day of crude
oil. The Valero Port Arthur Refinery Site (the “Former Gulf Oil Refinery
Site”), encompassing approximately 4,000 acres, is located in an industrial
area in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas. The Joint Outfall Canal (JOC)
bisects the Site and flows into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (ICWW)
approximately 2.3 kilometers downstream from the refinery. The width of the JOC
at the Site ranges from approximately 80 to 115 meters. The center depth of the
JOC is generally greater than 10 feet and deepens toward the ICWW confluence.
Canal sediments consist of fine-grained silty to sandy clays.
Historically, hazardous substances were released into the environment – both on
Site and in surrounding areas. Studies have revealed the presence of
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and
copper and other hazardous substances in surface water and/or sediment in the
JOC, in on-site ponded wetland habitats, in the North Marsh, and in other
on-site water bodies. A significant source of this contamination was from
various waste containment areas on Site. In an effort to mitigate further
impacts from contamination in the solid waste management units, a combination
of response actions were selected to address potential site- related human
health and ecological risks. These actions included waste consolidation;
grading and capping within the Site’s waste areas; installation of controls to
manage and treat storm water run-off from inactive and completed areas; and
adjustments to dike elevations and slopes necessary to construct caps, monitor
to prevent areas of excessive settlement and protect against future erosion.
The natural resource trustees (Trustees) worked with the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality and the facility representatives to identify the nature
and extent of the contamination within the Site boundaries, and to determine
what remedial actions should be implemented to address potential risk to human
health and the environment.
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