OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** September 2015 

SBA SHIPYARD Jennings, Louisiana

Jefferson Davis Parish

 Site Location:

The SBA site is located at 9040 Castex Landing Road, Jennings, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. The 98 acre 

property is located at the end of State Highway 3166 and adjacent to the west bank of the Mermentau River, 

approximately 2.3 miles southwest (downstream) of Mermentau, Louisiana. 

 Site History:

SBA used the location for construction, repair, retrofitting and cleaning of barges from 1965 to 1999. Barges serviced 

by SBA typically held diesel, coal tar, creosote, crude oil, gasoline and asphalt. Three barge slips and a dry dock are 

located off the Mermentau River. The slips were used to dock barges during cleaning or repair. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

Soil, sediment and ground water are contaminated with waste from barge cleaning activities including diesel, coal tar, 

creosote, crude oil, petroleum products and asphalt. Wastes were co-mingled in on-site pits. Soil, sediment and ground 

water at SBA Shipyard include numerous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds

(VOCs) and metals. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Contamination has migrated from the facility to underlying ground water, adjacent wetlands and nearby surface 

waters. The Mermentau River borders the SBA property and is fished recreationally. 

 Response Activities (to date):

Interim removal activities were conducted by SBA contractors from March 2001 to January 2005 under an EPA 

December 2002 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Order and Agreement. The site was referred to the 

EPA by Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) in September 2012 due to active releases of 

hazardous materials from an abandoned barge into the Mermentau River, to which the Coast Guard responded. The 

EPA is currently conducting an interim removal action to prevent active releases from an on-site buried barge. 

 Need for NPL Listing:

The state of Louisiana referred the site to the EPA in October 2012 after a National Response Center notification was 

investigated by LDEQ and US Coast Guard. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not 

viable at this time because of limited funding. The EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL 

from the state of Louisiana. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may 

change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent 

FR notices.]

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/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.