[StBernard] Removal of Oil Spill Area soils

[Westley Annis]

Wendy,

Your suspicions are warranted.  In water, oil thins out to spread as thin as
a quarter inch.  Therefore, you don't need to by a chemist or physicist to
conclude that even a small amount of oil can spread out over great distances
in just a few inches of water.  You don't need several feet of water for it
to spread.  Oil, like water, will seek its own level causing it to thin out
and spread.

Mark my words, when the DEQ/EPA is finally testing areas all over the
parish, you will find oil and/or its chemical biproducts (through
refinement)  in more areas of St. Bernard than anyone first thought.  Keep
in mind many of the chemical biproducts associated with refinery petroleum
are not visible to the eye and often cannot be smelled.  Only by doing a
soil analysis can one accurately find out if a given site or area is
contaminated.

On that subject, let me suggest you keep this in mind as well.  In regards
to Murphy digging up the soil around your property then replacing it with
clean soil - I'm really skeptical if that's going to do any good at all.
I'll explain.  From the meeting I had with Murphy, as it was explained to
me, they would only be digging about a foot - if that much.  Well, my
research on the types of chemicals we're talking about here said they can
quickly seep into the ground, particularly with rains helping to wash them
into the earth.  Now keep in mind over the last 5 months our water table (in
the ground) has been much lower than normal.  But what happens when the
water table begins to rise and draws nearer to the surface into the fresh
soil they put down?  Yep, much of the chemicals will rise right back up with
the water.  That's why the EPA almost "always" requires a heavy clay mud cap
to placed over any surface that has received such contamination.  Though
it's an obvious example, DEQ and EPA required our parish government to put
such  a 3 foot clay cap (and compressed down) over the area that was the
Paris Road dump site back in the 80's when it was shut down.  Then, regular
top soil was placed on top of that.

Now, think about this. . . the substances at the old dump site did not have
the imminent health concerns that are in the substance that spread from
Murphy.  I could be wrong, but I'm pretty confident you won't find any
benzene under the clay cap at the old dump site.  But the same can't be said
about what spread from Murphy.  Go on Google and key in "benzene" and see
what immediately pulls up.  Also, research what other chemicals are
typically found in refined petroleum.  As you read, your heart rate and
blood pressure will rise.

I am not criticizing Murphy for using such chemicals, after all, that's all
part of the process of producing gasoline and other petroleum products.  I'm
simply talking about what we are likely going to have to contend with and
the long term effects it will have - and the decisions we're going to have
to make based on that.

Personally, I am not confident one bit where I lived on Veronica Drive will
be safe to live for many, many years to come.  Good luck!

John Scurich