[StBernard] St. Bernard oil spill is wider than was thought

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard oil spill is wider than was thought
Federal officials add homes to target area 
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
By Matthew Brown
West Bank bureau 

About 70 homes were added to the contamination zone for the Murphy Oil spill
in St. Bernard Parish after federal authorities said they found evidence the
oil slick reached as far north as the Forty Arpent Canal. 

The expansion of the spill zone raises to about 1,800 the number of homes
and businesses potentially polluted when a storage tank at Murphy's Meraux
refinery ruptured after Hurricane Katrina, said Lisa Fasano, a spokeswoman
for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The accident sent 1 million gallons of crude oil flooding through
surrounding neighborhoods, in the storm's largest incident involving
petrochemicals. 

Fasano said the EPA expanded the spill zone after a complaint from a
resident who had been denied cleanup assistance from the oil company. EPA
investigators visited the site and found oil in yards and on houses in an
area bordered by Lena Drive to the east, Magistrate Drive to the south,
Jacob Drive to the west, and the Forty Arpent Canal to the north. 

Murphy Oil spokeswoman Mindy West said the company will not automatically
clean homes within the EPA-designated spill zone, only those that test
positive for oil contamination. 

The expansion area, which is not included on Murphy Oil's own spill map, is
one of several sites on which EPA officials and Murphy representatives
disagree. 

"That extension of the EPA area indicates it's their opinion there may be
Murphy oil in that location, but the cleaning will be done on a case-by-case
basis," West said. 

She said the company to date has power washed the exterior of about 250
polluted homes. 

Soil tests released by the EPA on Friday indicate widespread chemical
contamination continues from the spill. 

Of 275 soil samples taken from surrounding neighborhoods in the last three
months, about 30 percent exceeded state clean-up standards for
diesel-related chemicals, 18 percent exceeded standards for oil-related
chemicals and 7 percent exceeded standards for other petroleum-related
chemicals. Two samples exceeded state cleanup standards for arsenic. 

The EPA recommends keeping children and pets out of the spill zone and for
all others to wear protective clothing. 

Two dozen federal lawsuits pending against Arkansas-based Murphy Oil allege
company negligence led to the spill. 

The ruptured 10-million-gallon tank was only 65 percent filled at the time
Katrina inundated St. Bernard Parish, allowing it to float off its
foundation and buckle, West said. In the first few days after the storm,
pressure from the floodwaters kept the crude oil in the damaged tank. Once
floodwaters began to recede, oil began pouring out, West said. 

The spill was discovered September 3 and the EPA was notified of the
accident a day later. 

The company has moved aggressively outside of court to get many residents to
drop their legal claims in exchange for cash and offers to clean up their
properties. 

In November, U.S. District Court Judge Eldon Fallon ordered Murphy to stop
making settlement offers until first advising homeowners to consult with
their lawyers. West said residents do not have to agree to a settlement to
have homes cleaned. 

. . . . . . . 


Matthew Brown can be reached at mbrown at timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3784.