By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

NORCO – The site of a chemical plant owned by Shell in Norco near the Valero and Shell/ Motiva refineries has been cleaned up and is now ready for reuse, according to officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The DEQ and the EPA have determined that Shell Chemical LP has successfully conducted an investigation and risk management activities to bring the 103-acre site back into commercial use by granting the site with a “Ready to Reuse” designation, according to DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch.

According to the DEQ’s website, the Ready for Reuse designation was developed by the EPA’s Region 6 in Dallas. It provides a “regulatory determination” that recognizes when conditions on a property are protective of human health and the environment and safe for reuse, development or continued use.

The Norco Chemical Plant, which is located on River Road near the east side guide levee of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, was originally constructed in 1954 to manufacture organic and inorganic chemicals. The property previously was under cultivation. The plant’s current products, including calcium chloride, hydrochloric acid, high performance epoxy resins and other chemicals, are manufactured in the five active units at the facility. The wastewater unit is operated by Shell.

The Ready for Reuse designation is the culmination of investigations, evaluations and remedial actions that began in 1988.

“The Ready for Reuse program is beneficial for economic reasons because land can be put back into use and is now productive again,” said Hatch. “It’s good for the environment and the economy because the contamination was addressed in a way that meets state and federal standards.”