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NPL Site Narrative for Brio Refining, Inc.
BRIO REFINING, INC.
Friendswood, Texas
Federal Register Notice: March 31, 1989Conditions at proposal (October 15, 1984): The Brio Refining, Inc., Site is an abandoned refinery at 2501 Dixie Farm Road in Harris County south of Houston near Friendswood, Texas. The area is heavily populated. A housing development borders the site on the north.
The site consists of approximately 12 closed pits on 50 acres of land. Tanks and processing facilities remain on a portion of the site. The facility was operated from the late 1950s to December 1982. Earlier operations carried out at the site included copper catalyst regeneration, oil blending and refining, and hydrocarbon (styrene) cracking. Previous owners or operators of the facility have included Hard Lowe Chemical, Lowe Chemical, Phoenix Chemical, JOC Oil Aromatics, and Friendswood Refining.
Spills have entered nearby Mud Gulley and subsequently, via Clear Creek, Galveston Bay. A recent inspection by EPA indicated that shallow ground water is potentially contaminated with copper, vinyl chloride, fluorene, styrene, and ethylbenzene. In January 1984, EPA detected toluene, benzene, and other aromatic organic chemicals in the air.
Status (January 1986): Some of the parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site have organized into the Brio Task Force. On June 27, 1985, 14 members of the Task Force signed an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA to conduct a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action. Initial field work began in May 1985. It included a large-scale biological treatment study and incineration demonstration study.
Status (March 31, 1989): The Record of Decision, signed on March 31, 1988, by EPA, the State, and the Brio Task Force, identified on-site incineration as the preferred remedial action. The Task Force proposed biological treatment instead. EPA will consider biological treatment if the Task Force demonstrates that it can meet EPA's criteria. Studies to demonstrate that biological treatment can meet EPA criteria were completed in the fall of 1988. EPA is reviewing the Task Force report on the studies.
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.