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NPL Site Narrative for Combustion, Inc.
COMBUSTION, INC.
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (June 10, 1986): The Combustion, Inc., Site covers approximately 6 acres in Denham Springs, Livingston Parish, Louisiana. Prior to late 1980, the company transported nonreclaimable tars, paraffins, waste oil, sediments, and waste water to the site via pipeline from its petroleum hydrocarbon recycling plant located approximately 0.25 mile to the southeast. During the life of the facility, 11 irregularly shaped earthen pits were constructed; five contain oily wastes, three contain oil and waste water, and three contain principally waste water. Approximately 3 million gallons of material are in the pits. Although the pits were constructed to isolate the wastes, they are connected by a series of trenches or pipes that allow mixing.
Two aboveground tanks are also located on the Combustion, Inc., property: a 20,000-gallon tank and a 30,000-gallon tank. These tanks were used primarily for storing the wastes before they were processed to recover oil, but they may have been used for other storage at times. In addition, Dubois, Inc., the previous owner of the property, may have treated potentially hazardous chemicals other than waste oils on the site.
Combustion, Inc., began to close the facility late in 1980, and by May 1982, had completely shut down operations. In October 1983, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) analyzed wastes from the site and found they contained PCBs, volatile organic chemicals, and heavy metals. In February 1985, LDEQ detected lead and thallium in ground water at the site, and volatile organic chemicals in the air. Ground water within 3 miles of the site is used for irrigation and drinking water. About 500 people live within 1 mile of the site.
On January 18, 1984, a State Compliance Order was issued to the site owner. The property has allegedly been sold to unknown parties, and the former owner says he is financially unable to clean up the site.
Status (June 24, 1988): After this site was proposed in June 1986, new technical information became available. Hence, EPA is reproposing this site to allow an additional 60-day comment period.
Louisiana has an enforcement agreement with EPA to take the lead on site cleanup. LDEQ is working with Combustion, Inc., on a workplan for a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action.
Status (August 30, 1990): A number of the parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site prepared a preliminary Public Health Evaluation and Endangerment Assessment in February 1990 and a preliminary RI report in April 1990. LDEQ and EPA are reviewing the documents. The work is proceeding under a State enforcement order.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.