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An emergency dyke was repaired and a fire – damaged petrochemical tank was stabilized during the cleaning of fugitive oil products that shut down part of the Houston Ship Channel, the resort 's operator said Sunday.
Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of a fire on March 17 at the Deer Park facility of Intercontinental Terminals Terminals Company, which damaged or destroyed several petrochemical tanks.
Some tanks leaked oil products and a containment zone was breached Friday, which led the mix to reach the ship's channel, said Brent Weber, ITC spokesman. The canal – one of the busiest commercial waterways in the country – was closed to traffic that day.
Weber said the berms had been set Sunday.
At least 52 ships are waiting for the waterway to reopen, and the US Coast Guard hopes to reopen the entire channel of Houston's ships by Monday morning, said US Coast Guard Guardian Kelly Parker .
The huge fire that occurred more than a week ago propelled plumes of black smoke into the air and ignited and extinguished for days. Officials from Harris County and ITC initially said that the air quality was not affected by the fire, but the National Guard was called Thursday and locals were warned to stay indoors for their own safety, due to high concentrations of benzene in the air.
The chemical evaporates rapidly and can cause drowsiness, dizziness, fast heartbeat and headaches, with more severe symptoms at higher levels of exposure.
Weber said Sunday that the company was concerned about the possibility that benzene vapors escape from a fire damaged tank containing pyrolysis gasoline. Starting Saturday, officials pumped flammable gas out of the tank to reduce this risk. This container has been secured and air monitoring continues, Weber said.
"We are in a safe place with respect to protecting our stakeholders and the community," Weber said at a press conference Sunday morning. He did not elaborate.
Company officials said no pyrolysis gas escaped from the tank into the water.
In a statement released Sunday by Harris County, the Harris County Department of Public Health said the risk to the general public's health remained low.
Some tanks have been severely damaged, while others contain very little product, Weber added. The teams will cross each tank to eliminate any remaining product.
Petroleum products could be seen along a stretch of waterway, according to Lt. Cmdr. Jarod Toczko, another spokesman for the coastguard. Most of the product reached a bayou but the oil dams helped to protect the area.
"The majority of the product is contained with dams," said Toczko.
About 60,000 gallons of petroleum products were recovered in the water on Sunday, he said.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday that the ITC had a history of environmental offenses and had filed a lawsuit against the company, S & # lt; committing to hold her "responsible for the damage she has caused to our environment".
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