A Port Arthur, Texas, wastewater facility was responsible for the largest wastewater spill during Hurricane Harvey, releasing 106 million gal of wastewater in Jefferson County. The facility, operated by BASF Corp. and TOTAL Petrochemicals & Refining USA, claims the spills did not harm the environment.
The company spokesman Bob Nelson said, “Our process water systems were not compromised- no process chemicals in the water. The release was mostly rainfall, and some flood waters.” Additionally, the company had problems at a Beaumont pesticide plant with tanks overflowing. Prior to the storm, the company did attempt to reduce wastewater on site by transporting some off-site.
However, the Port Arthur facility was not the only wastewater management facility impacted by the hurricane. 839 spills have been reported by over 200 companies responsible for approximately 149 million gal of raw sewage and industrial waste released.