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NPL Site Narrative for PAB Oil & Chemical Service, Inc.
PAB OIL & CHEMICAL SERVICE, INC.
Abbeville, Louisiana
Federal Register Notice: March 31, 1989Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): The PAB Oil & Chemical Service, Inc., Site is an abandoned 9.4-acre oilfield waste disposal area north of Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. The company began operation in the late 1970s. During 1980-82, it operated under interim status from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. The company claims it stopped receiving wastes in 1982.
Three on-site pits were used to separate oil, water, and solids. The site is surrounded by a leaking levee rising 6 to 7 feet above the general grade. An estimated 39,000 cubic yards of oily sludge are held within the levee. Tests conducted in October 1985 by EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality detected barium, chromium, lead, manganese, ethylbenzene, acetone, toluene, and xylene in sludge in the pits. Also on the site are three steel tanks believed to hold liquid "slop" oil. Waste material was reportedly placed in one tank by unknown parties after the site closed in 1982.
High rainfall and the relatively short distance to surface water create the potential for contaminants to migrate off-site to Coulee Kenny Irrigation Canal, which drains into the Vermilion River. About 1,100 acres of cropland are irrigated by surface water within 3 miles of the site. Uncontained wastes are located over relatively shallow ground water, creating a potential for contaminants to move into ground water. Nearby shallow residential wells have shown no contamination to date. Three Abbeville city wells within 3 miles of the site provide drinking water for 18,000 people. Private wells within 3 miles of the site serve another 2,100 people and also provide water to irrigate 4,350 acres.
In 1980, new State regulations governed off-site disposal of drilling mud and salt water generated from oil and gas production activities. PAB failed to comply with these regulations, resulting in notices of violation and referral to the Louisiana Attorney General. In November 1982, the State ordered the site properly closed, but the company said it had no money to pay for closure.
Status (March 31, 1989): EPA emergency staff has evaluated the site and determined that a removal action is not warranted at this time.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.