Delta Shipyard covers 165 acres in Houma, Louisiana, and was once used to clean and repair small cargo boats, fishing vessels, and oil barges. Oily waste from those cleaning operations was stored in unlined earthen pits that acted as evaporation ponds. That waste never fully evaporated, and hazardous substances spread into groundwater, surface water, and soil. The wetlands surrounding the site are contaminated with metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, a group of chemicals produced when organic materials burn or break down. Without active cleanup, contamination will keep spreading.
The EPA placed Delta Shipyard on the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2014. The NPL is the federal government's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. EPA negotiated with Sequoia Corporation (Chromalloy American LLC) and Dean Services West L.L.C. to investigate the site. A Unilateral Administrative Order was finalized in May 2018, and an Administrative Order of Consent was completed in March 2023. Chromalloy has collected site data and prepared a draft data report for EPA review. A remedial investigation and feasibility study for the source area is underway and expected to wrap up between June and August 2028. That study will define the full scope of contamination and identify the best cleanup approach, after which EPA will select a remedy and issue a Record of Decision.
EPA does not yet have enough data to confirm whether human exposure is under control or whether contaminated groundwater has stopped spreading. Physical construction of the cleanup has not begun, and the site is not ready for its intended future use. A removal action was estimated to have taken place between late 2015 and mid-2016, but major cleanup construction steps, including final remedy construction and deletion from the NPL, have not yet been reached.
Community members can get the latest updates by attending a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Terrebonne Parish Library, Main Library, at 151 Library Drive in Houma, Louisiana. EPA also encourages the public to contact site staff directly with questions. Twenty publicly available documents about the site can be accessed through EPA's Superfund records system.
