DEER PARK – Investigations have been underway in Deer Park this week after reports of odors, dirty water, and dead fish in Patrick Bayou. KPRC 2 Investigates noticed that Shell Deer Park was posting information about these incidents on a public community resource page, known as CAER Line. Since Tuesday evening, there have been reports of discolored water discharging into the Houston Ship Channel. The Shell response team was dispatched and noticed several dead fish at Patrick Bayou. As of Friday morning, at 9:59 a.m. Shell Deer Park downgraded the alert.
RESPONSE FROM SHELL (received after story air)
‘On Monday, Jan 22, the Deer Park site reported that water outflow into the Houston Ship Channel appeared to be discolored. This was originally declared a level 3 alert per EHCMA guidelines but has since been downgraded, indicating no offsite impact where the water discoloration occurred. One day later, dead fish were observed at the outlet of Patrick Bayou. Out of an abundance of caution, a response team was deployed to investigate the cause, including potential impacts from last week’s freezing weather. That investigation is ongoing and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are being updated. On January 25, an odor was identified in proximity to HWY225. Harris County Pollution Control conducted air sampling near the facility and confirmed the odor was unrelated to complaints from earlier in the week. Air sampling conducted by our site team and by CTEH did not show any harmful levels of chemicals. At Shell, we remain committed to delivering energy responsibly and safely, with the goal of zero harm to our employees, contractors, local communities and the environment. At Deer Park, we maintain a stringent and proactive safety policy – training our workforce to minimize risk, respond to, and mitigate the potential impact of any incident. At Deer Park, our employees and contractors are empowered with the authority and responsibility to stop work if they feel conditions are unsafe. We take responsibility seriously to comply with all federal and state regulations, including reporting incidents and unexpected emissions.
2nd RESPONSE FROM SHELL (received after story air)
“Joel, it was incorrectly reported that the discolored water was in Patrick Bayou. The Discolored water was discharged into the Houston Ship Channel, over one-half mile from the mouth of Patrick Bayou. No discolored water was released to Patrick Bayou. And there was not a fish kill anywhere surrounding the discharge area in the Houston Ship Channel The individual KPRC interviewed says many times communities do not hear about an incident until after the event. Shell has been updating the CAER Online app and required agencies since Monday. You indicated that Shell gave themselves the “all clear” and downgraded to a level one. This is inaccurate as a level one alert is not an “all clear” message. Shell does not own or operate the refinery in Deer Park and there are multiple facilities that border Patrick Bayou.” We are keeping Texas Parks and Wildlife aware of what happened, not reporting to them. Water Sampling: Water sampling has been ongoing throughout the week. All water sampling results received to date are within our permit limits. Shell and its contractors have accessed the Houston Ship Channel and Patrick Bayou by boat to conduct sampling throughout the week.”
HARRIS COUNTY POLLUTION CONTROL
However, KPRC 2 Investigates reached out to Harris County Pollution Control and they sent us a statement with different information, “I spoke with our investigator who communicated directly with Shell. We do not have access to Patrick Bayou near the location of Shell’s discharge into the Houston Ship Channel. With that, no sampling was conducted by PCS.”
MESSAGES POSTED TO CAER LINE
Posted On - 1/26/2024 9:59:00 AM - Initial Report -This is the environmental representative from Shell Deer Park. We are downgrading this alert to a level 1. The water discharging to the Houston Ship Channel no longer appears discolored. All water sampling results received to date are within our permit limits. Air monitoring continues to show no harmful levels of chemicals.
Posted On - 1/25/2024 1:52:00 PM - Initial Report- This is the Environmental Duty Representative at Shell Deer Park. An odor was identified onsite, and air monitoring conducted near the fence line of the HWY225 feeder road has not detected any harmful levels of chemicals. Shell is taking necessary actions to identify and minimize the source of the odor. No action is required from our neighbors or surrounding community, but the odor may be noticeable near HWY225. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Posted On - 1/24/2024 6:42:00 PM - Update 1 This is the environmental representative from Shell Deer Park. We continue to investigate the discolored water discharging into the Houston Ship Channel. Air monitoring continues to show no harmful levels of chemicals. Water sampling is ongoing in accordance with our TPDS permit. Results for water samples taken on Monday, Jan 22 were compliant with our permits. We are conducting additional testing on the water beyond what is required by our permit to determine the source of the discoloration. The fish were found in a separate location in Patrick Bayou and we are investigating if there is any connection to the discolored water, as well as other potential causes including impacts from last week’s freezing weather.
Posted On - 1/23/2024 5:33:00 PM - Initial Report This is the Environmental Duty Representative at Shell Deer Park. Our onsite response team continues to investigate the discolored water discharging into the Houston Ship Channel. Air monitoring did not detect any harmful levels of chemicals affecting neighboring communities. Water sampling is ongoing. While completing further observations, the response team noticed several dead fish at the outlet of Patrick Bayou. We have boomed the area and are also now investigating the cause of this incident. Appropriate agencies have been notified and we will continue to keep the community informed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
The communications team at Shell Deer Park also sent us this statement, “As a member of EHCMA and the Deer Park LEPC, Shell Deer Park uses the CAER Online program to inform neighbors about operational matters of interest. Out of an abundance of caution and respect for our community and neighbors, we strive to communicate as quickly and expansively as possible. Against that backdrop and approach, there have been a larger number of CAER Online messages this week.” - Curtis Smith
SUPER FUND SITE
The EPA and TCEQ both recognize Patrick Bayou as a Superfund site. According to the EPA, ‘Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites. '
SUPERFUND SITES IN HARRIS COUNTY source TCEQ
Including Patrick Bayou, there are 25 current and former Superfund sites located in Harris County, Texas.
GENEVA INDUSTRIES/ FUHRMANN ENERGY
MANY DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS, INC