Update: Four months and $246K fine later, when will Croda unit reopen? Not til state, chemical maker agree 'it is once again safe’
Investigators are concerned that 700,000 gallons of water sprayed on 2,688 gallons of explosive and toxic ethylene oxide may have contaminated area groundwater along with the toxic solvent 1,4 dioxane, a cancer-causing byproduct of the chemical plant's process.
(Company comment at UPDATE below) British chemical maker Croda has agreed to pay the state of Delaware a $230,000 penalty and $16,500 for costs from the Thanksgiving Sunday chemical leak that shut the twin Delaware Memorial Bridges on Nov. 25 for seven hours.
Croda must complete an air and water testing report and may have to do additional renovation and monitoring work before the unit can reopen, according to the agreement, signed by Delaware’s top environmental official, Shawn Garvin, and Croda’s top U.S lawyer, Christina Manuelli.
Investigators from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the state Justice Department are concerned that 700,000 gallons of water sprayed on 2,688 gallons of leaked, explosive and toxic ethylene oxide may have contaminated area groundwater along with the toxic solvent 1,4 dioxane, a cancer-causing byproduct of Croda’s process at the unit.
The accident at Croda’s Atlas Point chemical complex near New Castle, Del., has idled the newly built ethylene life unit at the plant for four months, longer than it was open.
Croda was penalized, in part, for operating the plant for three weeks in October before receiving a proper inspection, which the state later approved.
The unit was built with state incentives to encourage companies to invest in Delaware’s aging chemical industries. The accident underlined the project’s proximity to the bridge and nearby homes, which were built since the plant was developed for chemical manufacturing in the 1930s.
UPDATE 4/1: Croda is “pleased to have reached a settlement agreement with DNREC regarding the November 2018 accidental release of Ethylene Oxide,” said Croda spokeswoman Cara Eaton in a statement.
Besides the penalties and costs, Croda “has completed" the required environmental sampling plan, Eaton added. Any risk of environmental effects “”was minimized in large part thanks to our response systems and the amazing work of first responders the night of the incident,” after which five responders went to area hospitals to be checked.
“Once we satisfy the other actions prescribed by DNREC for approval to restart, and both we and DNREC agree it is once again safe to operate the EO plant, the Croda team will resume the production of EO,” Eaton concluded.