Rail cars are seen knocked off their wheels at the Stolthaven Braithwaite LLC chemical storage facility in Braithwaite, La., on Sept. 6 in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. State officials are investigating how many chemicals leaked from storage tanks at a facility flooded by Hurricane Isaac.
In the report filed Tuesday, the company says it notified state police on Sept. 4 about the release of no more than 36,161 gallons of a paraffin-based oil product called Ultra-S4 and 2,546 gallons of a product called Vivatec from its Braithwaite terminal in Plaquemines Parish.
The Associated Press obtained the report by Stolthaven New Orleans LLC to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality through a public records request on Friday.
A company spokesman said this week that chemicals that escaped the tanks were contained by levees surrounding the facility. State officials say sampling of the air and waters surrounding the facility has found no contamination. Still, sheens were photographed after the storm, and there has been conflicting information about how much spilled.
On Tuesday, Stolthaven reported to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center that 191,000 gallons of chemicals might have been released. The company and state officials said Thursday that amount represents a “worst-case” amount of chemicals spilled and not how much leaked out.
No injuries due to the spill have been reported, the company said. Cleanup at the facility continued Friday.
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