Do you remember that cat pee smell?
By Autumn Hensiek
Highlights:
- Detailed report on the crude oil spill by Shamrock Products in Victoria released.
- Shamrock found in violation of state law for not reporting the spill within 24 hours.
- Victoria residents take legal action against Shamrock.
Remember that cat pee smell that filled the air back in January?
Admittedly, I had forgotten about it – until I opened my mailbox recently to a 500+ page report from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Apparently, crude oil with the right additives can smell like cat pee.
On January 3, 2024, about 300 barrels of crude oil spilled into the Victoria Barge Canal after an 18-wheeler struck the valve of a tank. The tank was being transferred from a tank farm owned by petroleum products company Shamrock Products. The tank farm is located at the Victoria Port Terminal.
The tank spilled a mixture of crude oil, mercaptans, fuel oil, B38 (solvent), and cracked hydrocarbons, according to reports.
The spilled mercaptans may have been the culprit of the particularly pungent cat pee smell. Mercaptans are additives used as odorants to warn people of natural gas leaks because natural gas itself has no smell. Most mercaptans resemble rotting cabbage or garlic smells while others smell like dirty socks or smelly feet.
The TCEQ report obtained by Chisme Collective states Shamrock representatives neglected to report the spill within the required 24 hour time frame.
TCEQ Violations
A group of residents who live near the spill in Victoria filed a lawsuit alleging Shamrock exposed them to toxic materials, according to reports.
We sent questions to attorneys from Cole, Cole, Easley & Sciba, the law firm handling a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that residents experienced respiratory ailments and headaches due to the spill. Shamrock was also accused of negligence in the lawsuit.
According to TCEQ documents, Shamrock committed three violations:
- Shamrock failed to notify the TCEQ of the spill within 24 hours of the incident. The odors activated multiple local, state and federal agencies to respond.
- Shamrock failed to contain the spill. Specifically, the spill migrated to the offsite stormwater conveyance, which leads to the Victoria Barge Canal.
- Shamrock failed to contain the petroleum and mercaptan-like odors resulting from the spill. The odors resulted in 91 odor complaints reported to TCEQ. The contaminants are said to have lingered in the air long enough to injure or adversely affect human health or welfare, animal life, vegetation or property.
While this story and its accompanying lawsuit are still pending, this writer knows that what happened in Victoria could very likely happen again here, in Corpus Christi.
I’m reminded of Flint Hills’ Christmas Eve oil spill and the accompanying settlement. I’m terrified for the lasting impacts for the residents of Victoria and residents throughout the Gulf Coast.