DEER PARK – Investigations are underway in Deer Park this week after reports of odors, dirty water, and dead fish in Patrick Bayou. KPRC 2 Investigates noted that Shell Deer Park posts information about these incidents on a public community resource page, known as the CAER Line. Since Tuesday night, there have been reports of discolored water pouring into the Houston Ship Channel. The Shell response team was dispatched and observed several dead fish in Patrick Bayou. On Friday morning, at 9:59 a.m., Shell Deer Park lifted the alert.
RESPONSE FROM SHELL (received after story aired)
‘On Monday, January 22, the Deer Park site reported that the flow of water in the Houston Ship Channel appeared to be discolored. It was originally declared a level 3 alert per EHCMA guidelines but has since been downgraded, indicating no impact outside the area where the water discoloration occurred. A day later, dead fish were found at the outlet of Patrick Bayou. Out of an abundance of caution, a response team was deployed to investigate the cause, including potential effects from last week’s icy weather. That investigation is ongoing and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is being updated. On January 25, an odor was detected near HWY225. Harris County Pollution Control conducted air sampling near the facility and confirmed that the odor was unrelated to the complaints from earlier in the week. Air sampling conducted by our site team and the CTEH did not show any harmful levels of chemicals. At Shell, we remain committed to delivering energy responsibly and safely, with the aim of doing no harm to our employees, contractors, local communities and the environment. At Deer Park, we maintain a strict and proactive safety policy – training our workforce to reduce risk, respond to, and minimize the potential impact of any incident. At Deer Park, our employees and contractors are empowered with the authority and responsibility to stop work if they feel conditions are unsafe. We take seriously the responsibility to comply with all federal and state regulations, including the reporting of incidents and unexpected emissions.
2nd RESPONSE FROM SHELL (received after story airs)
“Joel, it was wrongly reported that the colored water was in Patrick Bayou. Discolored water was discharged into the Houston Ship Channel, more than half a mile from the mouth of Patrick Bayou. No discolored water was released into Patrick Bayou. And there was no fish kill anywhere around the discharge area in the Houston Ship Channel The individual KPRC interviewed says that many times communities don’t hear about an incident until after the event. Shell has updated the CAER Online app and required agencies since Monday. You stated that Shell gave themselves the “all clear” and went down a notch. This is imprecise because an alert level is not an “all clear” message. Shell does not own or operate the Deer Park refinery and many facilities bordering Patrick Bayou.” We are keeping Texas Parks and Wildlife informed of what happened, not reporting to them. Water Sampling: Water sampling is ongoing throughout the week. All water sampling results received to date are within our permit limits. Shell and its contractors accessed the Houston Ship Channel and Patrick Bayou by boat to conduct sampling all week.”
HARRIS COUNTY POLLUTION CONTROL
However, KPRC 2 Investigates contacted Harris County Pollution Control and they sent us a statement with different information, “I spoke with our investigator who contacted Shell directly. We do not have access to Patrick Bayou near the Shell discharge location in the Houston Ship Channel. With this, no sampling was performed by PCS.”
MESSAGES POSTED ON CAER LINE
Posted On – 1/26/2024 9:59:00 AM – Preliminary Report -This is representative of the environment from Shell Deer Park. We are downgrading this alert to level 1. The water exiting the Houston Ship Channel no longer appears to have cleared. All water sampling results received to date are within our permit limits. Air monitoring continues to show harmless levels of chemicals.
Posted On – 1/25/2024 1:52:00 PM – Initial Report- This is the Environmental Duty Representative at Shell Deer Park. An odor was detected in the area, and air monitoring conducted near the fence line of the HWY225 feeder road did not detect any harmful levels of chemicals. Shell takes the necessary actions to identify and mitigate the source of the odor. No action is required from our neighbors or surrounding communities, but the odor may be noticeable near HWY225. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Posted On – 1/24/2024 6:42:00 PM – Update 1 This is the representative environment from Shell Deer Park. We continue to investigate the discolored water discharging into the Houston Ship Channel. Air monitoring continues to show harmless levels of chemicals. Water sampling continues in accordance with our TPDS permit. The results for the water samples taken on Monday, January 22 were in compliance with our permits. We are conducting additional water testing beyond what is required by our permit to determine the source of the discoloration. The fish were found in an isolated location in Patrick Bayou and we are investigating whether there is any connection to the fading water, as well as other potential causes including effects from last week’s freezing weather.
Posted On – 1/23/2024 5:33:00 PM – Initial Report This is the Environmental Duty Representative at Shell Deer Park. Our onsite response team continues to investigate discolored water discharging into the Houston Ship Channel. Air monitoring has not found any harmful levels of chemicals affecting nearby communities. Water sampling continues. While completing additional observations, the response team observed several dead fish at the outlet of Patrick Bayou. We have boomed the area and we are now also investigating the cause of this incident. The appropriate agencies have been notified and we will continue to keep the community informed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
The communications team at Shell Deer Park also sent us this statement, “As a member of the EHCMA and the Deer Park LEPC, Shell Deer Park uses the CAER Online program to inform neighbors about matters of interest in operation. Out of an abundance of caution and respect for our community and neighbors, we try to communicate as quickly and widely as possible. Against that backdrop and approach, there was a greater number of CAER Online messages this week.” – Curtis Smith
SUPER FUND SITE
Both EPA and TCEQ recognize Patrick Bayou as a Superfund site. According to the EPA, ‘Thousands of contaminated sites exist across the country due to hazardous waste being dumped, left open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites. ‘
SUPERFUND SITES IN HARRIS COUNTY source of TCEQ
Including Patrick Bayou, there are 25 current and former Superfund sites located in Harris County, Texas.
ALUMINUM FINISHING
ARCHEM THAMES/CHELSEA
BRIO REFINING, INC
CRYSTAL CHEMICAL COMPANY
DIXIE OIL PROCESSORS
FEDERATED METALS
FRENCH LIMITED
GENEVA INDUSTRIES/ FUHRMANN ENERGY
GULF METALS INDUSTRIES
HARRIS (FARLEY STREET)
HIGHLANDS ACID PIT
HOUSTON LEAD
HOUSTON SCRAP
JENSEN DRIVE SCRAP
JONES ROAD GROUND WATER PLUME
LA PATA OIL COMPANY
MANY DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS, INC
NORTH CAVALCADE STREET
PATRICK BAYOU
SAN JACINTO RIVER WASTE PITS
SIKES DISPOSAL PITS
SOL LYNN – INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMERS
SOUTH CAVALCADE STREET
US OIL RECOVERY
WASTE OIL TANK SERVICE
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