By Allen Powell II
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
WESTWEGO, La. — A chemical spill at a Westwego storage facility has heightened tensions between the business and nearby residents who complained Monday night that the facility has ignored the city’s laws and needs to be shut down.
The sulfuric acid spill occurred Monday morning at the Blackwater Midstream Inc. at 660 LeBauve Drive. Authorities reported that about 200 gallons of acid leaked from the bottom of a million-gallon tank on the property. The acid was contained by a dike around the tank and did not reach the surrounding community.
Authorities closed several roads because of the spill, but they had been opened by Monday night.
The remaining acid is expected to be moved to a new tank by Thursday.
The chemical spill exacerbated tensions between the storage facility and its neighbors, who complained to the Westwego City Council on Monday that the business has been operating without a valid city license and questioned whether the corrosive sulfuric acid should be stored so close to a residential community.
Ken Cantrell represented a group of residents who demanded to know why Blackwater Midstream has never come before the council and obtained an occupational license for a new business, as required by city ordinance.
In addition, Cantrell questioned why the business did not have to report to the council that the facility would be housing hazardous materials, and why residents weren’t notified of that.
“These guys are showing a lack of care by not coming to you guys and letting you know (what they’re doing),” Cantrell said.
He added that residents have had problems with the storage facility for years, even before it was acquired by Blackwater Midstream. City records show that six different companies have operated the facility in the past decade, and at least one other company appears to have been in operation without an occupational license.
Blackwater Midstream could not be reached Tuesday.
On Monday, Mayor John Shaddinger said the city was still trying to determine whether Blackwater had a valid license, but by Tuesday, the city confirmed that the company did not. Blackwater officials told the city they believed they acquired a legitimate occupational license when the company purchased the facility in December for $4.8 million. According to records presented by Blackwater, the location previously had an occupational license under the name of Valero LP.
However, when a new business takes over an existing location, it still must go to the council to get an occupational license under the new name. Shaddinger said the company will come before the council Feb. 16 to seek an occupational license, and City Attorney Joel Levy will decide whether Blackwater should be fined for operating without a license.
Blackwater does have state permits and is registered with the Westwego Fire Department.
“We’re going to make sure that whatever they have to comply with for the safety and well-being of this community, they will,” Shaddinger said.
He added that city officials met with Blackwater officials in January and that the company was prepared to attend Monday’s meeting to discuss the occupational license issue, but that changed after the chemical spill.
Shaddinger also suggested that the city adopt a new ordinance to regulate companies that handle hazardous materials and model its ordinance on Jefferson Parish’s.
Robert Darcey, who works with the parish hazardous materials unit, said the parish has guidelines for the inspections of storage tanks, has gotten companies to regularly disclose what materials are stored in those tanks and can force companies to add odor-reducing chemicals to certain tanks if residents complain. Since the parish adopted the new guidelines, complaints have dropped dramatically, Darcey said.
Copyright 2009 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company