On January 4, 2024, at 6:34 PM the EPA was notified by the
National Response Center of a release of approximately 300 barrels (bbls) of
crude oil from the Shamrock Products facility located at 1894 FM 1432 in
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas 77901. According to the Responsible Party (RP)
representative, the release resulted from a vehicle striking a valve on a tank
in the facility’s tank farm. The facility is approximately 0.5 miles from
the Victoria Barge Canal/the Port of Victoria. The incident is in EPA’s area of
responsibility (AOR), and EPA is the lead agency.
The RP stated that the spill occurred the afternoon of January
3, 2024. An 18-wheeler struck a valve on a tank in the facility’s tank farm
during transfer operations. The RP estimated that there was approximately 800
bbls crude oil in the tank, and about 500 bbls discharged before the RP was
able to plug the leak. The RP has recovered approximately 300 bbls, and
recovery and remediation operations are expected to be completed by Sunday,
January 7, 2024. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is
also responding and will conduct 24-hr operations on-site and are mobilizing
some of their contractors. EPA staff and contractors are mobilizing to the site
to provide oversight of the response efforts and conduct air monitoring, as
well as coordinate with other responding agencies.
*UPDATE 1/9/2024
EPA continues to oversee the
remediation and cleanup of the petroleum-based material from a tank at the
Shamrock Victoria Port Terminal. The
facility is implementing odor control measures on site as materials are
removed. The spilled material included an additive called mercaptan, which
has a very pungent odor that can be detected at extremely low levels. EPA will continue overseeing cleanup activities at the site
until remediation is complete. Throughout the response, EPA’s air monitoring
efforts have not detected any chemicals above levels of concern. The agency and
its contractors will continue to conduct air monitoring as necessary.
Background:
On the evening of January 3, 2024, responders in
the Victoria, Texas, area discovered a spill at a tank farm at the Shamrock
Products terminal in Victoria, Texas, after receiving reports of a strong odor
from area resident. Shamrock reported the spill to the National Response
Center. An estimated 500 barrels of slop oil containing spilled after a truck
hit a tank valve. EPA teams arrived on the afternoon of January 5 to monitor
for oxygen (O2), lower explosive limit (LEL), carbon monoxide (CO),
hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using
handheld MultiRAE Pro devices. If this method showed a sustained reading of 1
part per million (ppm) or greater for VOCs, the team would then monitor specifically
for benzene using separate, more sensitive equipment. The incident-specific
action level for VOCs is 1.0 ppm and 0.5 ppm for benzene; however, during the
assessment, no readings were detected above background, although a strong
pungent odor was present.
