- Agency Interest No. 149272
- Location Statewide
- Media of Concern Surface Soil
- LDEQ Contact Bill Schram
Site Background and Activities
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) formulated the Mercury Initiative under the direction of Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in 2004, focusing on the reduction, recycling and removal of mercury in our environment. Industrial specific focus groups met to establish a consensus on how to eliminate mercury and mercury containing products in use in our society. The culmination of these meetings resulted in Act 216 of the 2006 Legislative Session, The Mercury Risk Reduction Act, and the 2007 Mercury Risk Reduction Plan.
The Risk Reduction Plan enacted specific activities and time frames for removal of mercury used by certain industries or end users. The natural gas production and transportation industry was encouraged in the Act, to participate through Cooperative Agreements with the LDEQ in a voluntary program of investigating, removing meters and remediating sites where mercury manometers where used or were still in use. An estimated 25-30,000 locations throughout Louisiana needed to be addressed.
Since 1991, the LDEQ has been actively addressing sites through voluntary actions by numerous companies and in January, 2008, EnerVest Operating L.L.C. entered into a Cooperative Agreement with LDEQ and is currently active in addressing their locations.
Source Reduction Strategy
Through our Cooperative Agreement, EnerVest committed to seeking out new suppliers to upgrade their mercury manometers. For some time, cost effective replacements were difficult to obtain but in the later part of 2008 a new source for mercury-free meters was located and EnverVest accelerated their replacement program, quadrupling their proposed target of 60 meters per year. Elemental mercury was removed from the old meters under controlled conditions and sent to Bethlehem Apparatus, in Pennsylvania for reclamation/recycling.
Achievements
Through diligent efforts by EnerVest in fiscal year 2008-2009, 380 mercury manometers were removed from service and replaced by mercury-free meters. This resulted in the removal approximately 3040 pounds of mercury from potential release to the environment. In addition, 85 meter locations were remediated by the excavation and proper disposal of contaminated soil. Confirmation sampling proved these sites meet the LDEQ Risk Evaluation and Corrective Action Program (RECAP) level of 2.3 ppm, the most protective standard applicable to residential use. In May, 2009, 44 sites from activities performed in 2008 were granted a No Further Action At This Time determination.
Photos
 
Typical Mecury Meter Dismantled Mercury Meters
 
Removing Mercury Removal of contaminated soil under meter
Documents and Reports
Below are document links. To view document click on link.
|