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Baldwin Waste Oil Company

This former waste oil processing facility in Robstown, Nueces County is currently in the Operation and Maintenance phase of the Superfund Program.

Site Summary

This approximately two-acre site is a former waste-oil processing facility at 136 West Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz Blvd in Robstown, about 300 yards west of FM 1889. From 1983 through 1991 site inspections and investigations revealed benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene in liquid materials in tanks, drums, and containers; and elevated levels of lead, chromium, barium, and arsenic in soil samples. The TCEQ proposed the site to the state Superfund registry in October 1987.

Beginning Cleanup

In July 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency began an emergency on-site removal and remediation activities. The wastes from the tanks and sludge were sent to an off-site facility to be incinerated and the tanks were cut up and disposed of as scrap metal. A bioremediation cell was constructed in the former tank-farm area to remove hydrocarbon compounds in the soil. The bioremediation cell has since been removed.

Remedial Action

The TCEQ completed the remedial investigation and baseline risk- assessment in 1999 and determined that no further action was required to remediate the on-site soils. However, the TCEQ specified that the natural attenuation of the benzene-contaminated groundwater be monitored. The TCEQ began monitoring in 2000. In 2006, The Brownsville Navigation District of Cameron County assumed responsibility for the annual groundwater monitoring, pursuant to an agreed judgment.

Current Status

The most recent monitoring indicates the benzene-contaminated groundwater plume appears stable and is decreasing in size. The TCEQ is working with the Brownsville Navigation District of Cameron County to ensure that monitoring is conducted annually until cleanup levels are achieved.

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