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Valero (26003), Norco
Releases in 2010
| LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date |
Point Source/Release | Cause | Notes |
| 128357 2010-12-27 | Point Source(s): FLARE: flare #1 & #2 Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 4,529 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 80 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide - 12 pounds Carbon Monoxide - 212 pounds Particulate Matter - 2 pounds Nitrogen Oxide - 39 pounds | Cause of Problem: Instrument Failure Wet gas compressor (WGC) in the delayed coking unit malfunctioned resulting in SO2 emissions to Flares #1 and #2. A level indicator on the coker tower HCGO tray malfunctioned. FLARE. | RQ. Reportable quantities for sulfur dioxide were exceeded. See Root Cause Analysis for more information. DLEQ report, Refinery letter, and follow-up letter all included in file. |
| 128217 2010-12-18 | Point Source(s): Tank Pollutant(s):Hydrostatic Test Dye - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures This was a hydrostatic test discharge for a storage tank that used a biodegradable colorant (green). According to Valero, the hydrostatic test water was sampled and met LPDES permit limits for this activity. | BRQ. No information given. |
| 126927 2010-10-07 | Point Source(s): net gas compressor Pollutant(s):Nitrogen Gas - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Refinery letter states that they "experienced a release to the atmosphere from a net gas compressor." No additional information given. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that no reportable quantities were exceeded. Release initially thought to be compressed flammable gas, but follow-up determined release was inert nitrogen gas. Refinery letter only. No LDEQ report included. |
| 126798 2010-09-30 | Point Source(s): Dock #2 Pollutant(s):Sulfuric Acid - 4,040 pounds | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Dock #2 - Leak from 3 small holes in 6 inch fresh 98% sulfuric acid line. Sulfuric Acid went into the Mississippi River. RELEASE INTO RIVER: OFF-SITE. | Still under investigation. Refinery report states they will submit follow-up report. Refinery letter only. No LDEQ report included. |
| 126165 2010-09-06 | Point Source(s): 3700 Sulfur Recovery Unit, 3700 Thermal Oxidizer Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 3,454 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure Valve malfunction on 3700 Sulfur Recovery Unit resulted in sulfur dioxide elevated levels at 3700 Thermal Oxidizer. | RQ. Refinery letter states that the permitted SO2 rate and reportable quantity were exceeded. Workers diverted 3700 SFU feed stream to other Sulfur Recovery units, took manual control, and restarted unit. Refinery letter only; letter states that this is second follow-up report, but no first report is included in file. No LDEQ report. |
| 126017 2010-08-30 | Point Source(s): 3700 Sulfur Recovery Unit, 3700 Thermal Oxidizer Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 1,166 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure Malfunction of main air blower on 3700 Sulfur Recover Unit cause elevated sulfur dioxide levels at the 3700 Thermal Oxidizer (EQT 0195). | Report states that 6 part remedial action was taken to prevent future incidents, including operator training, equipment repair, and additional administrative controls. Refinery letter only; letter states that this is second follow-up report, but no other letter included. No LDEQ report. |
| 124653 2010-07-07 | Point Source(s): FLARE: Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 621 pounds | Cause of Problem: Process Upset Incident involved a release of Sulfur Dioxide during the start up of their 1600 Sulfur Recovery Unit. FLARE. | BRQ. The facility determined that 157 lbs. of Sulfur Dioxide (RQ. is 500 lbs) was released on 7/7/10, between the hours of 0500 and 0600. The permitted SO2 under EQT 0358 is 300 lb/hr. |
| 124058 2010-06-09 | Point Source(s): Fresh Sulfuric Acid Pipeline Pollutant(s):Sulfuric Acid - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Refinery letter states that a leak developed in the fresh sulfuric acid pipeline. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that less than 1 barrel of sulfuric acid was released. A temporary repair was used to stop the leak. Firewater was used to rinse acid off of the pad, and the acidic wash water was neutralized in a concrete sump. |
| 123993 2010-06-05 | Point Source(s): Tank: piping associated with tank 50-2 Pollutant(s):Sulfuric Acid - 650 pounds | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Spill from flange on the piping associated with tank 50-2. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that "we have determined that the spill amount was...less than the reportable quantity for sulfuric acid." Put soda ash down to neutralize the acid, cleaned up soil, repaired leak. |
| 123734 2010-05-25 | Point Source(s): FLARE: MSCCU Pollutant(s):Hydrogen Sulfide - 21 pounds Sulfur Dioxide - BRQ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 2,010 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure Small hole in Milli-Second Catalytic Cracking Unit (MSCCU)--had to flare when shutting down for repair. FLARE. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that no reportable quantities were exceeded. No information given regarding remedial actions. |
| 123617 2010-05-20 | Point Source(s): Tank 50-1: Sulfuric Acid Pipeline Pollutant(s):Sulfuric Acid - 1,540 pounds | Cause of Problem: Corrosion Refinery letter states that a leak occurred in a sulfuric acid pipeline due to interior corrosion of the pipeline. Section 3 of tank area, near Tank 50-1. | RQ. Reportable quantity for sulfuric acid was exceeded. After donning protective gear, the tank farm operator immediately closed the valve to prevent any additional discharge. Personnel was mobilized to begin the remediation process. Some acid was recovered, using a stainless steel vacuum truck. The pressure indicator was removed from the fresh acid line and replaced with a blind flange. Operations will utilize the PI located on the pump discharge line for future readings. A routine visual inspection of all vents, bleeders, flanged connections, and PI's on the fresh acid system will be implemented. |
| 122782 2010-04-14 | Point Source(s): Oily Wastewater Sewer Line Pollutant(s):Benzene - 0 pounds Ethylbenzene - 0 pounds Toluene - 0 pounds m&p-xylene - 0 pounds o-Xylene - 0 pounds Naphthalene - 0 pounds Phenanthrene - 0 pounds Lead - 0 pounds See Notes - 0 pounds Oily Wastewater - 720 gallons | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Refinery letter states a leak occurred in the underground oily wastewater sewer line in the crude unit. | Further remedial action was conducted in the area to properly dispose of all contaminated soil and fill material. Samples will be taken to ensure a proper clean-up. Less than .0001 lbs of CYANIDE were also released. |
| 122517 2010-04-01 | Point Source(s): Tank T-150-19 Pollutant(s):Wastewater - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Routine monitoring conducted at the facility indicated a possible leak from storage tank T-150-19. Slightly elevated levels of conductivity/chlorides were found in pooled stormwater in the containment area. | BRQ. Report states that "the facility will continue to sample pooled fluids and increase monitoring of nearby wells to attempt to confirm a possible release, and determine any remedial actions when data has been collected." |
| 122507 2010-03-31 | Point Source(s): seal on a pump at the coker station Pollutant(s):Wastewater - 194 gallons | Cause of Problem: Seal or Gasket Leak from a seal on a pump at the coker lift station released wastewater. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that no reportable quantities were exceeded. Spill mitigated (no details on how); wastewater analyzed and determined to be BRQ. |
| 122464 2010-03-30 | Point Source(s): FLARE: flare #1 Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 2,870 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Under Investigation Elevated sulfur compounds at Flare #1. FLARE. | Ongoing testing/monitoring of elevated sulfur compounds in the flare during the week. Unclear if emissions had ceased at time of LDEQ report. |
| 122132 2010-03-14 | Point Source(s): tank T-150-21 Pollutant(s):Gas Oil - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure Vacuum gas oil leaked from tank T-150-21. Tests showed some "soil protective of groundwater" was contaminated but refinery states that groundwater was not actually impacted due to high clay content of the soils. | BRQ. Refinery letter states that no reportable quantities were exceeded. Tank in question drained, adjacent dike containment area vacuumed. |
| 122114 2010-03-14 | Point Source(s): pump connected to tank 80-1 Pollutant(s):Diesel Fuel - 20 gallons Nitrogen Oxide - 163 pounds Sulfur Oxides - 11 pounds Carbon Monoxide - 35 pounds Particulate Matter 10 - 11 pounds Benzene - 0 pounds Toluene - 0 pounds Xylene - 0 Propylene - 0 pounds 1,3-Butadiene - 0 pounds Formaldehyde - 0 pounds Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - 0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 0 pounds | Cause of Problem: Under Investigation Portable diesel-powered transfer pump caught fire. Releases include Acetaldehyde 0.0284 lbs and Acrolein 0.0034 lbs. FIRE. | ERT extinguished fire in 20 mins. |
| 121983 2010-03-09 | Point Source(s): Tank 150-25 & Tank 325-5: Expansion Joint Pollutant(s):Diesel Fuel - 112,890 gallons | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Refinery letter states that diesel was spilled due to the malfunction of an expansion joint on the inlet piping of to tank 150-1 during the transfer of ultra low sulfur diesel between two tanks. | RQ. Reportable quantities were exceed. Vacuum trucks were used to pump down diesel fuel from the dike containment area of Tanks T-150-1 & 2. The refinery also mobilized a third party contractor for site remedial cleanup efforts. In addition, frac tanks and portable pumps were used to assist in the recovery. The contaminated soil was sent to a landfill. The following actions were taken to prevent a recurrence of the incidence: 1. A refinery guideline will be developed and published describing the steps needed to avoid water hammer when starting pumps in the tank farm. 2. Complete a tank farm survey to prioritize hose and expansion hose replacement. 3. Replace all stainless steel hoses with hard pipe or an engineered expansion hose. 4. Develop, write, and publish to the Right to Know Center, a Standard Operating Procedure to specifically address the transfer that was made during the incident. 5. Provide additional training on the new Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel system for all operators in the tank farm. |
| 121805 2010-02-27 | Point Source(s): FLARE: Flare #1 & #2, MSSCU, SRU, 3700 TOX Pollutant(s):Nitrogen Dioxide - BRQ Sulfur Dioxide - 34,598 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide - 613 pounds Propylene - 19 pounds | Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures Flaring caused by difficulty starting up the Millisecond Catalytic Cracking Unit (MSCCU), as well as the Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) and its related thermal oxidizer (TOX) after a maintenance shutdown. Some emissions exceeded visible emissions and opacity permit limits as well. | RQ. Refinery letter states that reportable quantities were exceeded for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Initial refinery letter, plus two additional follow-up reports included in file. Remedial actions: "Maximized steam to flares to mitigation visible emissions...and adjusted feed rates and other process parameters in order to complete startup and stabilize the MSCCU and 3700 SRU units." "A minimal amount of waste gas is expected to be flared during process startup. Currently this activity is permitted for expected losses of criteria pollutants and hydrogen sulfide. Since the loss of propylene is not permitted under startup emissions, but is expected, Valero will request propylene allowances in a future application for a permit modifications. Additionally, we are planning to install flare gas recovery compressors on Flares 1 and 2 in the year 2011. These compressors will have the ability to capture waste gasses generated from startup activities and return them to the refinery fuel gas system." |
| 121517 2010-01-31 | Point Source(s): West Plant oil sump Pollutant(s):F038 Hazardous Waste - 1,300 gallons | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure Separation sludge released from oil/water separator in the West Plant--oil sump overflowed. "Petroleum Refinery Float," RCRA code F038, Hazardous Waste. | RQ. Vacuum trucks mobilized to pump down overflowing sump and recover visible material. Booms & pads placed around spill, pumps upstream shut off, sump closed & barricaded after cleanup, contaminated soil scraped down (about top 2"). Incident communicated to affected personnel; prevent unauthorized access to control systems; level indication for sump updated from mechanical to radar type; add impervious secondary containment area around sump; evaluate other oily sewer containment systems for mitigation of overflows. |
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