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NPL Site Narrative for Dutchtown Treatment Plant
DUTCHTOWN TREATMENT PLANT
Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Federal Register Notice: July 22, 1987Conditions at proposal (January 22, 1987): The Dutchtown Treatment Plant Site covers 21.5 acres near Dutchtown in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. The owner reclaimed oil on the site from 1965 to January 1984. In 1979, the State contacted the owner, now deceased, concerning compliance of the site with the State's hazardous waste requirements. He submitted a site closure plan in June 1982, but the plan was not acceptable to the State. In January 1983, the State ordered the owner to stop unauthorized removal of hazardous waste and in January 1984 declared the site abandoned.
A large holding pond on the site contains 300,000 gallons of oily wastes and 1,700 cubic yards of sludge waste; 372 cubic yards of contaminated soil are also on the site. The wastes contain benzene, ethylbenzene, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, and 1,1-dichloroethane, according to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. In 1984, the State took two emergency actions to prevent overtopping of the holding pond.
Analyses conducted by the State in 1984 revealed that shallow ground water (30 feet) under the site is contaminated with chloroform, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, and 1,1-dichloroethane. About 1,500 people obtain drinking water from wells within 3 miles of this site. The wells are drilled to depths of 200-280 feet.
The site is 1 mile from coastal wetlands and 0.25 mile from fresh water wetlands in the Mississippi River watershed.
In June 1986, EPA detected benzene, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, and vinyl chloride in the air near the holding pond, posing the threat of fire and explosion. About 130 people live within 0.25 mile of the site. Although the site is fenced, it is unguarded. Thus, people and animals can come into direct contact with hazardous substances.
Status (July 22, 1987): In March 1987, under Section 311 of the Clean Water Act, EPA removed oil spilled from tanks, presumably by vandalism.
EPA is planning for a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action.
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.