A study of a crude oil spill site for selected metal concentrations remediated by a controlled burning in Southwest Louisiana

On August 17, 2002 an oil spill occurred at the Chevron Texaco No. 2 Bayou Tank Battery in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, in Southwest Louisiana. The spill covered approximately 3.5 acres of the surrounding marsh. A controlled and in-situ burn of the oil was conducted on August 20, 2002 along with some post-burn “mopping up” on the following day. Within a few days after the burn the growth of new vegetation was observed. A year after the burn, the affected marsh seemed to be no different from the rest of the marsh in the area, as if no spill or burn ever occurred. Analysis of the oil from the No. 2 Bayou Tank Battery showed that there were very low (below detection limit of ICP-OES), if any, concentrations of selected trace metals. Soil cores and grass samples were taken on December15, 2003 and July 15, 2004 from the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge oil spill site for metal determination and compared to cores and grasses taken from the surrounding marsh and confirmed that there was no increase in concentration of any metal that was examined as a result of the oil spill or controlled burn.