Hurricane Pollution Recovery Ops Update

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, federal, state, local and industry personnel continue to work together to conduct pollution recovery operations to mitigate further damage to the environment.

The following industries are continuing pollution recovery operations:

Murphy Oil Corporation, near Chalmette, La.:

- Estimated 819,000 gallons of oil have been discharged, with the vast majority contained within the existing secondary containment unit located on refinery property

- Oil recovery operations are ongoing

- As of Sunday, 367,000 gallons of oil and water mix were recovered using 18 vacuum trucks and 13 drum skimmers

- 24-hour operations are now ongoing with the addition of two high speed pumps

Shell Pipeline Company LP:

- Clean-up efforts at Pilottown and Nairn continue

- In Pilottown, crude oil was found leaking from an above ground storage tank and into a tank dike and the surrounding area; of approximately 420,000 gallons estimated to have leaked, more than 260,400 gallons have been recovered to date

- Crude oil that remains in the tank is being offloaded into a barge.

- In Nairn, approximately 10,500 gallons of crude oil was estimated to have leaked from a 20-inch pipeline

- Damage to the pipeline resulted from a breach in a hurricane protection levee. The line has been de-pressurized and is no longer leaking. The area has been boomed and crews continue to clean-up pockets of oil using absorbent materials.

Bass Enterprises:

- Approximately 3.78 million gallons of oil from storage tanks were discharged into the secondary containment system surrounding the tanks

- One 420,000 gallon capacity removal barge has been filled with oil from the secondary containment pond and has disembarked for the Valero Energy refinery at Krotz Springs.

- A 1.26 million gallon capacity removal barge is now being filled.

- 502,236 gallons recovered as of Sunday.

- Oil Mop has an 11-person containment and recovery crew on site. A total crew complement of 60 is expected on site Monday.

Chevron Empire Facility:

- Estimated 966,000 gallons of oil was discharged from a storage tank at Empire

- A significant amount of oil was lost due to natural dispersion and evaporation

- The remaining oil spilled has been contained with boom and ongoing oil recovery operations are underway

- Chevron has developed and begun implementing its Incident Action Plan, which has been submitted and approved by the U.S. Coast Guard

Venice Energy Services Company:

- An unknown amount of oil was discharged in Tante Phine Pass near Venice, La.

- Recovery operations continue.