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Toxic Emissions

Venoco’s Carpinteria facility is an oil and gas processing plant. During the processing of oil and gas, this facility emits benzene, toluene, xylene, acrolein, formaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene, as well as other compounds.

Health Risk Assessment Results

Pollutants

Risk "Driver" Pollutants

Benzene from fugitive emissions was the primary contributor to this facility’s significant cancer risk status for inventory years 1999 and 2003. Fugitive emissions are emissions which result from minute leaks in piping connections, valves, flanges and other piping components.

The secondary cancer risk driver pollutants were formaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene from natural gas-fired internal combustion engines.  Specifically, the IR1 and IR3 engines contributed the largest amount of cancer risk from formaldehyde and 1,3-butadiene in 2003.  In 2007, IR3 was retrofitted with a non-selective catalytic reduction (NSCR) control device that reduces organic toxics by 80 percent.   See below for more risk reduction measures.

Acrolein from natural gas-fired internal combustion engines was the risk driver pollutant for acute non-cancer risk for inventory year 1999.

The links provided are to the USEPA Unified Air Toxics Web Site Health Effects Notebook for Hazardous Air Pollutants. For information on downloading documents, see How to view and download documents.

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Other Pollutants Emitted by this Facility

The following pollutants are also emitted during operations at this facility, but these pollutants were not the primary contributors to the facility's significant risk status.

Explanation of Risk

Public Notification

The primary goal of notification under the Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Program is to inform potentially exposed individuals of significant health risks associated with toxic air emissions routinely released from facilities in Santa Barbara County. The first public notification letter for this facility was sent to the affected public on June 8, 1999.  The second public notification letter was sent in November 2006.  The third pubic notification was conducted in February 2011.

Because this facility’s health risk assessment indicated a significant risk, the facility operator was required to conduct an airborne toxic risk reduction audit and develop a plan to implement airborne toxic risk reduction measures. 

The Venoco Carpinteria facility submitted a Risk Reduction Audit and Plan (RRAP) based on the health risk assessment results from inventory year 1999.   Venoco submitted a revised RRAP on December 19, 2006.    The District approved the December 19, 2006 RRAP in April 2007.  The RRAP was fully implemented in 2007.  The following risk reduction measures were implemented in order to reduce risk levels to below the District's significance thresholds:

Risk Reduction Measure #1 – Correlation Equations and Benzene Limits
Venoco recalculated the ROC and benzene emissions using the District's issued Policy and Procedure 6100.072.1998 (Use of Correlation Equation Methodology to Estimate Mass ROC emission at Oil and Gas Facilities). The change from the component count leak path method of calculating fugitive emissions (as detailed in P&P 6100.061.1998), to a correlation equation method (as detailed in P&P 6100.072.1998) resulted in reduced fugitive emissions, including benzene, and therefore, a reduction in facility cancer risk. In addition to the ROC limits, Venoco is required to comply with area-specific benzene limits on a calendar year basis.

Risk Reduction Measure #2 – Cooper Engine
The Cooper internal combustion engine is currently out of service. The engine will not be operated until it has been source tested for aldehydes and benzene and a health risk assessment has been performed that shows that operation of the engine will not exceed the District’s significant risk thresholds.

Risk Reduction Measure #3 – Wastewater Tank T-380
Tank T-380 is currently out of service. The tank will not be brought back into service until a health risk assessment has been performed that shows that operation of the tank will not exceed the District’s significant risk thresholds.

Risk Reduction Measure #4 – Installation of NSCR on IR3
Compressor engine IR3 was retrofitted with a non-selective catalytic reduction (NSCR) system.

Risk Reduction Measure #5 – IR1 Stack Height Increase
The stack height of IR1 was increased to 29 feet from its previous height of 15.7 feet.

These risk reduction measures are enforceable through the RRAP and the facility permits.  The completion of these measures resulted in Venoco reducing their facility's risk below the District's significance thresholds, as shown through the HRA for inventory year 2008.

Links for Additional Information on Air Toxics

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