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Louisiana's second largest industrialized area is located near Lake Charles in the Calcasieu River Basin in the southwestern corner of the State. Industries in the Lower Calcasieu area are primarily involved in the production of chemical, petrochemical, and petroleum products. These industries discharge waste waters into the Calcasieu River or its tributaries - Bayou D'Inde, Bayou Verdine, Houston River, Mill Creek, and Palmetto Creek. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, the Water Quality Act of 1965, and the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970 are applicable to the Calcasieu River and its tributaries. [Water quality regulations established pursuant to the provisions of these Acts are presented in Appendix A.] The Division of Field Investigations-Denver Center (DFI-DC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the request of the Director, Water Quality Office, Region VI, EPA, undertook a study of the Calcasieu River Basin in March-April 1971. Specific objectives of the study were to: 1. Compile an up-to-date inventory of industrial waste sources discharging to the Calcasieu River and its tributaries. 2. Ascertain a) types of treatment presently provided and b) the quality and quantity of each industrial waste discharge. 3. Evaluate the individual and collective impacts of wastewater discharges on the beneficial water uses of the Calcasieu River and its tributaries. 4. Determine abatement proceedings necessary or warranted under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, the Water Quality Act of 1965, and/or other applicable locals, State and Federal laws. This report summarizes information pertaining to raw materials, processes, waste loads, and treatment needs at the four facilities of the Continental Oil Company, Westlake, Louisiana, and recommends actions necessary to protect the quality of the receiving waters. Complete custodial records [Appendix B], for each sample taken during the course of this investigation, are on file in the Denver, Colorado, office of the Division of Field Investigations-Denver Center. |
