- Agency Interest Number 7443
- Location Lake Charles
- LDEQ Contact Percy Harris
Site Background and Activities
A Remedial Investigation (RI) was conducted for the Calcasieu Estuary in Calcasieu Parish, located in the southwestern corner of Louisiana. For the purposes of the RI, the Calcasieu Estuary study area extends from the saltwater barrier located north of Lake Charles to Moss Lake, and is situated north of the intersection of the Calcasieu River Ship Channel and the Intercoastal Waterway. The city of Lake Charles, Louisiana and several other smaller neighboring cities are located within the study area. The estuary is created by saltwater migrating north from the Gulf of Mexico via the Calcasieu River and freshwater draining toward the Gulf of Mexico from numerous inland rivers, bayous, and lakes.
The RI was conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI addressing potential threats to human health and the environment related to releases of organic and inorganic chemicals to the estuary. The RI sampling and analysis was conducted in two phases; from December 1999 to March 2000 for Phase I, and from November 2000 to January2001 for Phase II.
The RI report was finalized on August 29, 2003. Results of the RI indicated 85% of the Estuary Study Area was O.K. However, five areas within the Calcasieu Estuary including Bayou d’Inde were identified as requiring further response action. The RI also identified industries with historical and or current permitted discharges into Bayou d’Inde. The facilities identified in the RI were:
Four Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) signed a Cooperative Agreement (CA) to conduct a Corrective Action Study (CAS) to evaluate remedial alternatives for Bayou d’Inde. The PRPs are:
PPG Industries, Inc.
CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Occidental Chemical Corporation
Westlake Polymers LP
Site Location
Bayou d’Inde is greater than nine miles long and is located in the northern portion of the Calcasieu Estuary, west of the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Bayou d’Inde’s headwaters originate in the western portion of Sulfur, Louisiana near the Interstate 10 Bridge. Bayou d’Inde flows primarily east-southeast and empties into the Calcasieu River Ship Channel southwest of Coon Island. Bayou d’Inde extends from the confluence of Little Bayou d’Inde to the Calcasieu River Ship Channel, including the small intermediate marshes along the banks of Bayou d’Inde near the confluence of Maple Fork Bayou and the more saline Lockport Marsh located at the confluence of Bayou d’Inde and the Calcasieu River Ship Channel.
Current Status
The draft CAS was submitted to LDEQ by the PRPs in August 2009. The draft CAS is currently under review.
Photos
None at this time
Documents and Reports
Below are document links. To view document click on link.
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