**BOBBY }INDAL GOVERNOR** **PEGGY M.** **HATCH SECRErt\RY** **$tate of** **JLouisiana DEPAR1MENT** **OF ENVIRONMENfAL** **QUAU'IY OFFICEOFENVIRONMENrALCO:MPUANCE** **JUL 1 3 2015** **Mr. Ron** **Curry EPA** **Region 6** **Regional Administrator** **US Environmental Protection** **Agency 1445** **Ross Avenue,** **Suite 1200** **Dallas, TX** **75202-2733 Re:** **Proposed Listing** **of SBA** **Shipyards, Inc.** **on the** **National Priorities** **List LDEQ** **Agency Interest Number** **1478 Castex** **Landing Road,** **Jennings, Jefferson** **Davis Parish,** **Louisiana Dear** **Mr. Curry:** **This letter** **is in** **response to** **the United** **States Environmental** **Protection Agency's** **(EPA's) request** **for concurrence** **from the state** **of Louisiana** **before the** **SBA Shipyards, Inc.** **Site ("the** **site") can** **be proposed** **for listing** **on the** **National Priorities** **List (NPL).** **The Louisiana** **Department of** **Environmental Quality** **(LDEQ) has** **been actively** **involved with** **the site** **in the** **past, providing** **technical assistance** **to the** **EPA in the** **assessment of** **the site.** **The LDEQ believes** **that the** **site is** **eligible for** **proposed listing on** **the NPL** **by virtue** **of the** **nature of** **the volatile** **and semi-volatile,** **and metals** **contamination that** **remains at** **the site,** **and the** **threat this** **contamination poses** **to the** **Mermentau River,** **local residents, and** **waterway and** **wetland areas** **that are** **adjacent to** **the site.** **Should the** **site be** **listed on** **the NPL,** **the LDEQ will** **continue to** **assist the** **EPA in** **making the necessary** **cleanup decisions** **designed to** **protect public health** **and the** **environment in** **this part** **of Louisiana.** **If you** **have any questions,** **please contact** **Mr. Gary** **Fulton, Administrator, LDEQ-Underground** **Storage Tank** **and Remediation** **Division, at** **(225) 219-3505.** **.. ** **f  (J!fd-__** **uD UJ** **.1 rl** **, eggy** **/fi /** **rJ.atch, Secretary** **Louh,1Jna Department** **of Environmental** **Quality htd** **c: Chance McNeely,** **Assistant Secretary,** **OEC, LDEQ** **Gary A.** **Fulton, Jr.,** **Administrator, USTRD** **Imaging Operations** **- IAS** **Brenda Nixon** **Cook Region** **6 NPL** **Coordinator U.S.** **Environmental Protection** **Agency 1445** **Ross A** **venue Dallas,** **Texas 75202-2733** **Post Office** **Box 4312** **• Baton** **Rouge, Louisiana** **70821-4312 •** **Phone 225-219-3536** **• Fax** **225-219-3398 www.de** **q .louisiana.** **g ov** **JVJ -** **1 3 26tS** **MEM ORANDUM** **TO: FROM:** **Peggy Hatch,** **Secretary· Department** **of Environmental** **Quality Chance** **McNeely, A ssistant** **Secretary, OEC** **Department of** **Environmental Quality** **Gary A.** **Fulton, Jr.,** **Administrator USTRD** **Department of** **Environmental Quality** **N[ v** ******SUBJECT: Proposed** **Listing of** **SBA Shipyard,** **Inc. on** **the National** **Priorities List;** **LDEQ Agency** **Interest Number** **1478 Castex** **Landing Road,** **Jennings, Jefferson** **Davis Parish,** **Louisiana DATE:** **The US** **Environmental Protection** **Agency (EPA)** **has asked** **for state** **concurrence on** **the proposed** **listing of** **SBA Shipyards,** **Inc. on** **the National** **Priorities List** **(NPL). We** **believe that** **this would** **be the** **best course** **of action** **for this** **inactive and** **abandoned site.** **What follows** **is a** **summary of** **the site.** **Location The** **SBA Shipyard** **facility (SBA)** **is situated** **on approximately** **98 acres** **of land** **located on** **the Mermentau** **River in** **a rural** **industrial area,** **at 9040** **Castex Landing** **Road, Jennings,** **Jefferson Davis Parish,** **Louisiana. The** **facility is** **bordered to** **the north** **by residents,** **south and** **west by** **wetlands, and** **to the** **east by** **the Mermentau** **River. Access** **to the** **property is** **restricted with** **fencing and** **locked gates. Prior Use** **SBA used** **the site** **for construction,** **repair, retro-fitting** **and cleaning** **of barges** **since 1965.** **Except for** **portions of** **the property possibly** **used for** **livestock grazing** **there is** **no known** **industrial use** **of the** **site prior** **to 1965.** **Barges serviced** **by SBA** **typically held** **diesel, coal** **tar, crude** **oil, gasoline** **and asphalt.** **In 1993,** **SBA Shipyards leased** **approximately 30** **acres of** **the facility** **to Leevac** **Marine. Since** **that time,** **Leevac Marine** **purchased that** **portion of** **the facility** **Wastes from** **the barge** **cleaning operations** **were managed** **in a** **waste management** **area that** **included four** **impoundments, a** **land treatment** **unit (L** **TU) and storage tanks.** **The wastes** **from barges** **consisted of** **petroleum hydrocarbons.** **The hydrocarbons** **were separated** **from the** **water into** **surface impoundments** **that were known** **as the** **Oil Pit,** **Water Pit** **1, Water** **Pit 2** **and Water** **Pit 3.** **Water was** **recycled to** **barge cleaning** **and some** **of the** **water was** **converted to** **steam for** **the cleaning** **operations. Aboveground** **oil/water separators** **and storage** **tanks eventually** **replaced the** **functions of** **the pits** **(surface impoundments).** **Regulatory History** **In 1980,** **SBA submitted** **a RCRA** **Part A** **Application to** **EPA indicating** **that SBA** **did not** **treat, store** **or dispose** **of hazardous** **waste. However,** **in late** **1989, SBA** **began remediation** **activities on** **the four** **impoundments that** **were in** **service since** **1968. Visual** **indications of** **the possible** **presence of** **contamination were** **observed during** **subsurface investigations** **conducted by** **SBA contractors** **between November 1989** **and February** **1990. In** **addition, four monitor** **wells were** **also installed** **at the** **time. In** **1990, SBA** **submitted a** **notification to** **LDEQ as** **generator of** **hazardous waste.** **Subsurface contamination** **was observed** **at the** **SBA site** **by LDEQ** **on February** **1990. In** **August 1990,** **the LDEQ,** **Solid Waste** **Division (SWD)** **issued an** **Order (OC-159)** **to SBA** **to close** **the waste** **management units.** **A memo** **was written** **in July 1994** **that either LDEQ HWD** **or EPA** **would handle closure** **activities of** **the SBA** **site. In** **1994 the** **EPA Region** **6 RCRA** **Enforcement Branch** **assumed the** **role for** **regulatory authority** **for the** **site and** **SBA hired** **a contractor** **to conduct** **a RCRA** **Facility Investigation** **(RFI). SBA** **submitted an** **RFI work** **plan in** **1996. In** **December 2002** **EPA issued** **Order and** **Agreement for** **Interim Measures/Removal** **Action (IM/RA)** **of Hazardous/Principal** **Threat Wastes** **at SBA** **Shipyards, Inc., pursuant to** **RCRA Section** **3008(h). Until December** **2012 the** **site remained** **under the** **USEP A** **Region 6** **RCRA Enforcement** **Branch. Since** **then, numerous** **inquiries were** **made by** **LDEQ to** **obtain regulatory** **status update information.** **All were** **unsuccessful. On** **December 11,** **2012 USEPA** **Region 6** **CERCLA Assessment** **with a** **Superfund Technical** **Assessment and** **Response Team** **(START) and** **LDEQ Underground** **Storage Tank** **and Remediation** **Division (USTRD)** **representatives conducted** **a site** **reconnaissance inspection** **at the** **SBA Shipyard** **for the** **purpose of** **assessing the** **site for** **inclusion on** **the National** **Priorities List** **as specified** **under the** **CERCLA. Tar-like** **material was** **observed in** **soils up** **to a** **depth of** **3 to** **4 feet** **below ground** **surface (bgs)** **near the** **onsite ditches.** **Evidence of** **the former** **pits and** **former land** **treatment unit** **were not** **observed during** **the reconnaissance.** **Four monitoring** **wells were present** **on the** **western portion** **of the** **property. A** **partially buried** **barge, an** **asphalt tank,** **and partially** **scrapped metal** **from a** **former 10,000 barrel tank remained** **onsite. Also** **on site** **is a** **partially buried tug** **boat. The** **boiler on** **the tug** **was used** **as a** **source of** **steam for** **the vessel** **cleaning operations.** **Its forward** **and aft** **holds were** **found to** **be filled with refined** **crude, waste oil, or** **possibly a** **combination of** **the two** **for fueling** **the boiler.** **The hatches** **of these** **holds were** **not secured** **causing this** **stored oil** **to overflow** **the holds** **during rain** **events, and** **flow into** **a nearby** **coulee and** **swamp which** **feeds directly** **into the** **Mermentau River.** **Previous Investigations** **Starting in** **1989, SBA** **made attempts** **to bio-remediate** **and close** **the impoundments.** **In 1991,** **the bioremediation** **was determined** **to be** **unsuccessful. Water** **and oil** **were pumped** **from Water** **Pit 1** **to the** **storage tanks.** **The sludge** **in Water** **Pit 1** **was solidified** **with fly-ash** **and lime.** **Approximately one-third** **of the** **material was** **placed in** **the L** **TU. The** **remaining material** **in Water** **Pit 1** **was piled** **at the** **east end** **of Water** **Pit 1.** **Accumulated precipitation** **was periodically** **pumped from** **the west** **end of** **Water Pit** **1 to** **storage tanks.** **The material** **in the** **L TU** **was periodically** **disked until** **1993 to** **promote bioremediation.** **Interim removal** **activities were** **conducted, according** **to an** **already approved** **Statement of** **Work, from** **March 2001** **through January 2005.** **In December** **2002, an** **Order and** **Agreement for** **Interim Measures/Removal** **Action (IM/RA)** **of Hazardous/Principal** **Threat Wastes** **at SBA** **Shipyards, Inc.,** **pursuant to** **RCRA Section** **3008(h) was** **prepared to** **formalize these** **ongoing activities. Approximately** **33.8 million pounds** **of oils,** **waxes and** **sludges, pumpable** **oily material** **and oily** **tank heels,** **70 tons** **of contaminated** **debris and** **88 tons** **of recyclable** **scrap steel** **were removed** **from the** **site. As p** **art of** **the IM/RA,** **the Oil** **Pit and** **wastes from** **the storage** **tanks were** **stabilized and** **solidified for** **off-site disposal.** **Approximately 750,000** **gallons of** **uncontaminated pond** **water were** **pumped from** **the former** **Water Pit** **to the** **drainage ditch** **that drains** **to the** **Mermentau River.** **The emptied** **Water Pit** **was then** **used to** **receive treated** **storm water** **from the** **partially buried** **barge. Pumpable** **oil materials** **were removed** **from the** **partially buried** **barge; which** **was then** **used to** **store contaminated** **storm water** **prior to** **treatment and** **discharge to** **the emptied** **Water Pit.** **Water from** **the barge** **was treated** **by sand** **filtration, followed** **by granulated** **activated carbon** **(GAC). The** **treated water** **was then** **pumped to** **the Water** **Pit 1,** **analyzed for** **volatile organic** **compounds (V** **OCs ),** **semi volatile** **organic compounds** **(SVOCs) and** **Total Suspended** **Solids (TSS)** **and discharged.** **The Water** **Pit was** **closed by** **excavating a** **six-foot gap** **in the** **berm to** **the "Mermentau** **River bottomland"** **directly east** **of pit.** **The partially** **buried barge,** **an asphalt** **tank, and** **partially scrapped** **metal from** **a former** **10,000 barrel** **tank remained** **onsite after** **the IM/RA** **activities were** **conducted. The** **IM/RA activities** **were complete** **in 2005.** **LDEQ conducted** **periodic field** **investigations of** **the property** **since 2005** **to document** **facility conditions.** **Since 2012, tarlike material** **was observed** **by EPA** **and LDEQ** **in soils** **up to** **a d epth** **of 3 t** **o 4 f** **eet below** **ground surface** **(bgs) near** **the on-site** **ditches. Current** **Status As** **of June** **2015, we** **currently await** **the results** **of the** **USEPA Site** **Assessment to** **determine if** **the site** **will be** **added to** **the National** **Priorities List** **for remediation** **under CERCLA** **and the Superfund** **Amendment and** **Reauthorization Act** **(SARA). USEP** **A in** **cooperation with** **the United** **States Coast** **Guard are** **currently conducting** **a removal** **action on** **the oil** **contents of** **the buried** **tug boat** **holds. Following** **this removal,** **the hatches** **of the** **tug will** **be sealed** **shut to** **prevent further** **filling from** **rain. Currently** **the SBA** **Shipyard site** **in Jennings,** **Louisiana is** **ready to** **be proposed** **once EPA** **receives a** **letter of** **concurrence from** **the Governor** **or his** **designee. The** **target date** **for receipt** **of the** **concurrence letter** **is July** **30, 2015.** **The HRS** **package and** **all supporting** **information is** **complete for** **SBA and** **it has** **received EPA** **Headquarters approval, once** **EPA receives** **a letter** **of support** **the site** **will be** **included in** **the next** **NPL update** **(September 2015).**