Odors, pollution leave residents uneasy as Shell reports release at cracker plant

Mar 14, 2024

POTTER TWP. – Strong odors from a "release of hydrocarbons" at Shell’s wastewater treatment plant are permeating parts of Beaver County.

Those living, traveling and working near Shell’s ethane cracker plant in Potter Township said the “kerosene-like” scent has persisted for at least two days, causing watering, burning eyes, headaches, nausea and other respiratory issues.

“It smells like if you burned rotten potatoes but used garage chemicals to do it,” said Mary Beth Eastman, a Beaver County resident who lives less than five miles from the plant. “I had a headache all afternoon yesterday, plus nausea. I have a headache again today. My daughter has been coughing for two days. She’s 12.”

Shell leaders said Thursday the incident happened as crews drained a process water tank in preparation for scheduled maintenance and shutdown. Workers introduced water in hopes of diluting and eliminating the odor, the company said. Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection received several reports from the public Wednesday related to odors and air quality concerns. Regulators plan to monitor the site as the investigation continues.

“Shell reports (the odors) were caused by oil entering its wastewater treatment plant – this is related to what Shell describes as a controlled shutdown of portions of the site for maintenance and repairs,” a DEP statement read. The company recently announced the controlled shutdown, telling residents to expect “continuous flaring” during the scheduled maintenance.

More:Shell: Expect 'continuous' flaring at cracker plant during maintenance

Nearby air quality monitors detected intermittent, but considerable, spikes in particulate matter as the odors drifted beyond Shell’s boundaries this week. Short-term exposure to particle pollution can cause respiratory irritation, coughing and shortness of breath and worsen existing medical conditions.

“DEP is aware of higher-than-normal fine particle pollution, but it has not exceeded the federally-established health-based ambient air standard for particle pollution at this time,” the agency said Thursday. Shell reported that its fenceline air monitors did at points detect spikes in volatile organic compounds, but said those readings have since returned to normal.

Local emergency management reported that offsite portable air monitors did not detect VOCs, but DEP is working to independently verify those results. The department has “no evidence to date” of any unauthorized discharges into waterways.

Despite rumors of a “major benzene spill” that led to a sitewide evacuation, Shell and DEP reported “no evidence to date of a significant benzene release or spill.”

“There was no sitewide evacuation,” Shell representatives said in a statement. “While we focused on eliminating the odor, we did not issue permits for some of the work scheduled for the day."

Elected federal and state representatives heard from a number of constituents concerned about the air quality and enduring chemical odor near the plant. U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17, Aspinwall, said his team alerted the EPA and is in contact with the DEP.

“I stand ready to assist Gov. Shapiro and the state with any needed federal assistance,” he said Thursday.

People living near the plastics plant — now five months into operations — are eager for details that remain scant.

Shell posted a Facebook statement Wednesday morning acknowledging the “odor detected originating from our wastewater treatment plant.”

“Depending on wind direction, the odor was detected in certain areas offsite as well,” the post read. “We are working to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We have notified the appropriate regulatory agencies and apologize for any inconvenience this issue may cause.”

Both Eastman and Maggie Young, a new Monaca homeowner, found the post's ambiguity alarming.

“I am very concerned,” Eastman said. “We don’t know what is in the air. Only that something is, and it’s detectable by air quality monitors and our very own noses, eyes, throats and lungs. I would love answers to the community’s questions: What is that smell? What chemicals are in the air? What is our health risk? What symptoms should we be concerned about? …”

Young spent the afternoon gardening with her toddler, feeling uneasy as online rumors circulated with little credible information available to her.

“It was so nice outside this week, and I really only noticed the smell once or twice, and my eyes were a little itchy, but it was the not knowing that really freaked me out," she said. "Like, am I being irresponsible taking my kid outside? Maybe. Maybe not. We need someone to be direct with us to tell us, plainly, what is going on."

More:Malfunction triggers elevated flaring at cracker plant

The DEP last week also issued Shell another round of violation notices for exceeding its 12-month rolling limit on air contaminant emissions in the periods ending in January and February. The company exceeded its rolling limits of nitrogen oxides in January, and exceeded caps on nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in February, according to the notices.

Since September 2022, Shell has received 10 violation notices related primarily to air quality, and the company has submitted dozens of malfunction reports in that time. Many of the incidents led to unplanned gas flaring.

More:Shell hit with air permit violations; activists call for operations halt

Unlike prior months, Shell did not report an exceedance of volatile organic compounds in January and February. Shell initially reported that high-pressure flaring was responsible for most of the facility’s emissions exceedances last year, but the company in January deployed combustion equipment manufacturer Zeeco’s flare monitor technology to test flare efficiency.

Shell told the DEP that the flare successfully destroyed a higher percentage of volatile organic compounds than what the company had previously calculated. So, the company argued, no rolling VOC limits had actually been exceeded.

“Shell has not demonstrated that these results are appropriate,” DEP officials wrote to Shell environmental manager Kimberly Kaal. The technology is unproven, they added, asking Shell to provide further documentation and reserving the "right to … add a violation.”

More:Shell to ‘reinforce’ ground flare stack at Beaver County cracker plant

The agency last week also issued Shell a violation notice for an hours-long elevated flaring event prompted by a malfunctioning gas compressor on Feb. 13.

Shell is not permitted to produce visible flare emissions “that exceed 0% opacity” except for a total of five minutes during any consecutive two-hour period. During the Feb. 13 incident, the elevated flare’s ethylene glycol seal broke, venting a mixture of water and glycol onto Shell’s property. The company said the mixture didn’t leave the property and didn't pose “imminent or substantial danger to public health and safety or environment,” a DEP inspector wrote.

Environmental activists have called on the DEP to temporarily halt operations at the facility. Two groups have filed a notice of intent to sue Shell for violating emissions limits.

This story has been updated to clarify that county emergency management, not PEMA, reported offsite portable air monitors did not detect VOCs.