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Aera
Fill pad (looking north), October
2005.
Winter Storm Season Preparation.
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What's
New
- Quarterly ground water monitoring
and soil sampling is ongoing on the
fill pad and in the lower canyon.
- An Ecological Risk Assessment is
currently being conducted to determine
remediation goals for the upper and
lower canyons. The study is expected
to be completed by winter 2008.
- The soil vapor extraction pilot
test program, implemented in spring
of 2005, was found to be successful
in the remediation of benzene. A continuation
of this program has been approved by
the IWT (Interagency Workgroup Team)
and scheduled to resume in Summer of
2006.
- A small-scale removal effort is
occurring in the lower canyon to remove
sediment impacted with PCBs that was
deposited during the 2005-2006 storm
season.
Description
This site once housed facilities for
processing natural gas produced from
subsea wells in the Molino
Offshore field . Today, the site
is designated as a State Superfund site
and is being
remediated.
Location
The AERA Gas Processing Site is located in Canada de la Huerta,
a canyon on the south flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains on the Gaviota
Coast approximately 20 miles north of the city of Santa Barbara.
The canyon runs north-south and opens to the Pacific Ocean.
Aera Location |
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Overhead View of the Aera Site
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Cleanup Activities
- Site contamination was discovered in 1986, including hydrocarbons,
mercury and PCBs.
- The site is designated as a State Superfund hazardous substances
release site by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).
- The gas plant came under ownership of Shell Western Exploration
& Production, Inc. (SWEPI) which formed CalResources Limited
Liability Corporation in 1994.
- SWEPI entered into a consent order with DTSC in 1988 to clean
up the site's contamination.
- A Remedial
Action Plan was approved in 1994 to clean up and restore the
site. Several addenda to this plan have been completed or are being reviewed.
- The County approved a conditional
use permit in 1996 for site demolition,
Cleanup and restoration activities.
These activities are ongoing under the direction of
an Interagency Workgroup Team (IWT).
- The County issued a Coastal Development
Permit in October 2005 to perform preparation
activities for winter storm seasons.
Past Activities
- Shell Oil was granted a County permit 1963 to construct and
operate a gas plant in Canada de la Huerta.
- Natural gas was produced from sub-sea wells.
- Gas was piped to the onshore facility, treated and sold to
Southern California Gas Company.
- New flowline bundles were installed in 1985 to enhance facility
operations.
- The gas plant ceased operations in 1989.
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| Aera Before Abandonment |
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Aera During Abandonment |
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| Aera After Abandonment |
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