| Home | Search | Emissions | Pollutants | About the Database |
ExxonMobil Refinery (2638), Baton Rouge
Releases of Crude Oil
| LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date |
Point Source(s) | Notes | Amount of Release |
| 05-BB009-1905 2005-12-09 | leak from underground section of piping | Cause: the leak was caused by external corrosion Followup: No Notes: the line was blocked out and temporarily removed from service; the section of the line that leaked is being repaired before the line is returned to service;Discharge was not preventable because there were no previous leaks on this underground section ofline | 1,260.0 gallons |
| 83432 2005-10-26 | underground section of a slop line from the pipestills units | Cause: the leak was caused by external corrosion Followup: No Notes: the stream in the slop line was switched to an alternate line and the leaking line was temporarily removed from service; was not preventable because there were no previous leaks on this underground section of line | 76.0 gallons |
| 80362 2005-07-06 | undergound pipe | Cause: oil spill from an underground pipe. Followup: No Notes: the line suspected to be leaking was blocked and the free oil was cleaned up. When it was determined that a different line was leaking soil excavation and clean up continued until the leak source was determined. The leak was then clamped and clean up continued on the soil. | 399.0 gallons |
| 05-BB009-1803 2005-06-20 | tank 82 | Cause: Followup: No Notes: the line was blocked from the tank and then a pump was used to pull a vacuum on the line, so clamps could be put over the leaks; internal corrosion inspections on similar piping outside the firewall did not show corrosion concerns, therefore internal corrosion was not expect | 806.0 gallons |
| 110113 2008-10-14 | NIG | Cause: According to the LDEQ incident report, a safety valve lifted and caused a crude oil spill. Followup: No Notes: Hot crude oil spilled and placed in sewer system and some of the material may have evaporated. This release is BRQ. | |
| 107496 2008-07-24 | oil spill | Cause: Approximately 1.6 barrels of powerformer feed was discovered in the knoxfield separator, which is a tankfield stormwater collection sump. The exact source of this oil is unknown. When the Refinery experience heavy rainfall on July 24th, it is suspected that the oil was flushed through the soil, into the sewer, and onto the separator that leaked from a line on July 18th. Followup: No Notes: A 5 gallon leak to soil of a similar material was discovered on July 18th. The July 18th leak was secured and no evidence of additional oil was found in the immediate area. A sample of the oil found in the separator on July 24th was analyzed and the characteristics were similar to that of the material from the July 18th leak. It is suspected that some oil from the previous leak may have migrated through the soil and into the sewer leading to this separator. A vacuum truck picked up the oil in the separator. The separator is monitored for additional oil that may accumulate in the next few weeks after the spill occurred as a result of the rain flushing the oil out of the sewer. The line that was found leaking on July 18th will be permanently repaired. | 67.0 gallons |
| No LDEQ Reported 2008-05-21 | oil spill | Cause: The valve indicator on the loading arm drain line did not reflect the actual valve position, resulting in crude being pumped directly to the dock slop system. Crude then backed up on the dock deck resulting in the crude spill to the river. Followup: No Notes: Crude unloading operation began at Berth #1. Immediate spill response and cleanup was effective in minimizing off-site impact. | 37.0 gallons |
| 103479 2008-02-27 | Leak/safety valve leak | Cause: leak occurred in safety valve due to a crack in valve/Under Investigation Followup: Under Investigation Notes: Pump was shut down and immediately blocked to stop release. Vacuum truck began to pick up pooled oil and soil remediation was initiated. Piece of cracked piping was removed and sent off for further investigation. | 46.0 gallons |
| 102970 2008-02-10 | oil spill | Cause: Crude oil was discovered leaking from a low flow switch on a pump discharge line. The cause of the leaking switch is unknown at this time. Followup: Yes Notes: written report from Exxon Mobile surrounding oil spill incident stating other pollutants that had been released into the soil and their quantities. The pump was shut down and blocked to stop release of oil. A vacuum truck picked up pooled soil and soil remediation was initiated. Spill was located with in Anchorage Tank Farm in West Baton Rouge PArish. The low flow switch was removed and a blank was installed in its place. | 113.0 gallons |
| No LDEQ Reported 2009-11-27 | No Information Given | Cause: Unit instability. Followup: No Notes: Company letter missing. RQ not exceeded. Unit will be shut down. | |
| 119723 2009-11-27 | No information given. | Cause: Unit instability caused a unit upset which resulted in the release. Followup: No Notes: Release is BRQ. Unit will be shut down. | |
| 125358 2010-08-02 | Crude Oil Unit: #9 pipeline | Cause: A small leak occurred under insulation on the Number 9 pipe still at the crude oil unit. A tower developed a small hole resulting in a fire at point of release. Fire burned twenty minutes. Followup: No Notes: This release was BRQ. | |
| 125308 2010-07-31 | No Information Given | Cause: No information provided about the cause of a spill of approximately one barrel of crude oil. Followup: No Notes: Initial reports that one barrel of crude oil was spilt which is RQ, but the refinery letter later states that this release was BRQ. | |
| 123630 2010-04-28 | underground crude oil line | Cause: Oil was found pooled on the ground, and excavation revealed that an underground crude oil line leaked due to underground corrosion. 56.8 gallons of oil was released which is above RQ. Followup: Yes Notes: Failed line excavated & clamped, and contaminated soil removed. | 56.8 gallons |
| 120747 2010-01-13 | Transfer line to furnace | Cause: Transfer line to furnace leaked & caused a flash fire. FIRE. Followup: No Notes: Line isolated, fire put out. State Police Hazmat report only. No LDEQ report or Refinery letter. | |
| 143246 2012-09-05 | Loading arm drain valve | Cause: On September 5, 2012 at approximately 3:10 AM, there was an oil spill to the Mississippi River from the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery Dock. The discharge controller noticed oil on the deck of the dock while discharging cargo. Discharge operations were immediately discontinued to prevent further release of crude oil. The controller failed to follow procedures to properly align the transfer system by leaving a loading arm drain valve open to the sump during discharge operations. The sump system became overwhelmed, causing crude oil to back out through the drains onto the deck.
The amount released was less than 5 barrels of oil, and the reportable quantity is 1 barrel.
After additional analysis and review with the US Coast Guard, a theoretical maximum potential oil spill volume of approximately 1800 gallons/43 barrels was calculated using theoretical oil spill recovery calculations. Followup: Yes Notes: Discharge operations were immediately discontinued to prevent any further release. The ExxonMobil Emergency Response Team was activated immediately to minimize environmental impact. Deployment of 35,000 feet of boom, 16,000 pads, and 9 boats with drum skimmers. Approximately 2,000 gallons of oil water was collected from skimming operations. Refresher training was conducted with Dock personnel on operating procedures to prevent recurrence. Further, additional level instrumentation is being evaluated to provide potential early incident detection. Spilled quantity was based on the sheen size calculation of 2.4 bbl, and the amount of oily water collected from skimming operations. Also states later that 5 bbls released into the Mississippi River and 5 bbls released onto the loading docks, and 50 bbls were contained onsite in the refinery's stormwater retention basin. All contaminated soil has been remediated. | 1,800.0 gallons |
| 139107 2012-04-24 | Leaking head on exchanger | Cause: A head on the exchanger leaked, and material was released to concrete and to the sewage catch basin. Followup: No Notes: The catch basin was damned off, and they vacuumed up the chemicals. Immediate and initial reports to the LDEQ hotline indicate that this accident released more than 10 pounds of benzene, 100 pounds of naphthalene, 100 pounds of cresol, and 100 pounds of biphenyl. Many of these are RQ. However, in the written report sent by ExxonMobil on 4/30/12, ExxonMobil has determined that no RQs were exceeded, and that only 28.9 gallons of crude oil was spilled due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration. | 28.9 gallons |
| 138531 2012-03-31 | NIG | Cause: The facility made the report an employee noticed approximately 20 gallons of oil in an existing excavation hole inside the facility. Followup: No Notes: In the intial phone call at 11:02 AM on 3/31/2012 the employee stated that a vacuum truck was onsite vacuuming up the oil, while looking for the source of the leak. In a follow-up call at 11:11 PM on 3/31/2012 the employee stated that there was no off-site impact, and that excavation was located at Avenue F inside the facility. A letter of notification/unauthorized discharge report was submitted on 4/5/2012, stating that no reportable quantities were exceeded, and the quantity of spilled oil was raised from 20 gallons to 23.4 gallons spilled to soil. | 23.4 gallons |
| 148914 2013-05-26 | No Information Given | Cause: On May 26, 2013, there was a secured crude oil release to concrete slab at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. Followup: No Notes: The Refinery letter states that approximately 7 gallons of crude oil reached the soil, which resulted in less than 1 pound of benzene being released. The LDEQ Verbal Report states that the release was characterized as 30 gallons of crude oil and less than 10 lbs of benzene.The State Police Form shows an update in which total oil released was 32 gallons and total benzene released was 0.22 lbs. | 7.0 gallons |
Connect With Us: