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Hercules
Fill pad (looking south), December 2008.
Winter Storm Season Preparation.
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What's
New
- The County approved a Coastal Development Permit for remediation and stabilization of the fill pad slope face and related work. The permit was approved by the County’s Zoning Administrator in a public hearing on September 14, 2009. Minor work to improve site drainage is planned for the last 2 weeks of October, and the major grading and revegetation work will be conducted during the late spring and summer of 2010.
- Shell Exploration and Production has assumed responsibility for remediation and restoration of the site from Aera Energy.
- 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 in late 2009/early 2010.
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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