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| Injury Assessment
Case: Chevron/Former Gulf Oil Refinery Port Arthur waste site
Source:
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Historical releases from the Former Gulf Oil refinery located on the southwest
side of Port Arthur, Texas, in Jefferson County, approximately five (5) miles
from the Texas-Louisiana border
Release:
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Heavy metals
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Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Status: The injury assessment has been completed for the
Chevron/Former Gulf Oil Refinery site. Paralleling TCEQ’s remedial
investigations for the Site, NOAA and DOI joined with the State Trustees in an
effort to assess the natural resource injuries and service losses attributable
to hazardous substances releases at the Site. The Trustees determined that
sediment, benthos, motile biota, and terrestrial receptors were impacted in
seven areas at the Site. Areas injured and areal extent of injuries is listed
in the table below.
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Area
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Acres
injured
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Joint
Outfall
Canal
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199.9
acres of unconsolidated bottom habitat
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Ponded
wetland Habitat
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91.4
acres of ponded wetland habitat
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North
Marsh
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15.2
acres of inland marsh emergent habitat
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Dredged
Material Cells
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24.4
acres of estuarine transitional habitat
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Oil/Waste
Pits
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918.6
total acres
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Intertidal
Marsh
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13.5
acres of intertidal marsh habitat
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Upland
Habitat
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13.1
acres of upland grassland habitat
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The assessment undertaken by the agencies indicated that construction of 83
acres of tidal wetland, 30 acres of coastal wet prairie, and placement of water
control structures to improve 1,332 acres of coastal wetlands would be needed
to compensate for these injuries and losses. On the basis of this information,
the Trustees negotiated a settlement of state and federal natural resource
damage claims related to the Site in which the PRPs would implement these
projects.
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