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Maintech International

This former chemical cleaning and equipment hydroblasting facility in Port Arthur, Jefferson County is currently in the Operation and Maintenance phase of the Superfund Program.

Site Background

The Maintech International site (the site) is located at 8300 Old Ferry Road in Port Arthur. The 10-acre site is approximately 0.25 mile northwest of the point where the Neches River empties into Sabine Lake. Prior to 1975, the property was used for wastewater disposal from a barge-cleaning facility. A bermed area was used as a pit for collected ballast and cleaning water from oil barges. In 1975, facilities were built to provide support for chemical cleaning and equipment hydroblasting services to area petrochemical plants and refineries. Included at the site were three wastewater collection ponds with a total capacity of about 2 million gallons. Activities at the site were halted in 1986, and all facilities have been out of service since then.

Superfund Actions Taken to Date

  • October 16, 1987, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (12 TexReg 3858) proposing the site to the state Superfund registry and announcing that a public meeting to receive citizen comments would be held at the Port Arthur Civic Center on November 12, 1987.
  • January 22, 1988, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (13 TexReg 427) listing the site on the state Superfund registry.
  • September 1, 1993, effective date of the creation of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission from the joining of the Texas Water Commission and the Texas Air Control Board and a portion of the Texas Department of Health.
  • August 9, 1996, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (21 TexReg 7605) announcing a public meeting would be held September 24, 1996, at the Port Arthur City Council Chambers to present to the community the best choice among cleanup remedies and to receive citizen comments to be considered in the final recommended remedy.
  • September 24, 1996, a public meeting was held at Port Arthur City Council Chambers to receive comments on the proposed cleanup alternative, which was collecting the contaminated soil into a pile and capping the pile.
  • July 31, 1997, TNRCC issued an administrative order, directing the potentially responsible party to perform or fund the remedial design and remedial action for the cleanup. The order set cleanup levels, selected the remedy for cleanup, and established rules, responsibilities and enforcement options for remedial design/remedial action under state Superfund process.
  • January 22, 1998, TNRCC issued the Phase I remedial design work order.
  • May 1999, a copy of the community relations plan was prepared for the Maintech
    International Superfund site.
  • May 14, 1999, the Texas attorney general negotiated an agreement with the remaining potentially responsible party to perform the remedial design/remedial action.
  • September 11, 1999, TNRCC approved the site remedial activities plan.
  • January 14, 2000, on-site remedial action under way.
  • June 15, 2000, TNRCC approved the final report for the completion of the remedial action. Post-closure groundwater monitoring was begun as the site was moved into the operation and maintenance category.
  • December 23, 2000, monitor wells were installed around the cap.
  • January 15, 2001, the first year of quarterly groundwater monitoring and reporting was initiated. The groundwater monitoring program includes quarterly monitoring of four wells for the first year and annual monitoring for the next four years. At the end of the fifth year, TNRCC will review the analytical results of the water samples and assess the need for additional groundwater monitoring.
  • February 2001–August 2002, the potentially responsible party continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities, which currently consist of annual groundwater monitoring and inspection of the on-site cap.
  • September 1, 2002, effective date of the name change from Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
  • February 20, 2003, TCEQ accepted the annual post-closure activity report for 2002.
  • August 2003, the potentially responsible party continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities, which currently consist of annual groundwater monitoring and inspection of the on-site cap.
  • December 2003, the potentially responsible party conducted the annual groundwater monitor well sampling at the site cap.
  • February 2004, TCEQ received and accepted the 2003 annual monitoring report for the operation and maintenance activities.
  • December 2004, the responsible party conducted the annual ground water monitor well sampling at the site and inspection of the cap.
  • January 2005, the annual operations and maintenance monitoring report for 2004 activities was received and
    accepted.
  • February 2006, the annual operations and maintenance monitoring report for 2005 activities was received and accepted.
  • July 12, 2006, the responsible party has completed the fifth year of post-closure operations and maintenance monitoring, and has submitted a written request to have the site deleted from the Superfund registry. The request is being evaluated.
  • April 20, 2010, TCEQ conducted site visit.

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