Combustion, Inc.

Overview

Combustion, Inc. is a 9-acre former waste oil recycling facility in Denham Springs, Louisiana. It operated from the late 1960s until the early 1980s and is listed as a final Superfund site on the National Priorities List (NPL). The site sits in Livingston Parish, with about 1,000 residents living within one mile and 36 homes directly next door. The site has also been known by several other names, including DuBose Oil Products Co. Inc. and G & B Oil Co. of Kenner Inc.

Eighteen contaminants of concern have been identified, all found in groundwater. They include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, and vinyl chloride, along with chlorinated solvents, dichloromethane, carbon disulfide, chlorobenzene, cyanide, manganese, pesticides including lindane, and compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene and p-cresol. The greatest health risk comes from drinking contaminated groundwater. Current assessments show that exposure pathways are under control and contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized.

Past cleanup work removed about 17,133 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris, 5,333 cubic yards of solidified sludge and paraffin, and dismantled 30 storage tanks. Workers also treated 11.3 million gallons of wastewater and sent 58,086 gallons of oil off site for energy recovery. The selected long-term remedy for the main operable unit uses phytoremediation (plants that break down or remove contaminants), groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls to prevent exposure. Remedial construction was completed by June 2006, and the site reached ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in September 2007.

The EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) are working with responsible parties to carry out recommendations from the most recent Five Year Review, completed in May 2021. Operation, maintenance, and groundwater treatment monitoring continue. The next Five Year Review is due between May and July 2026. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL. About 6.5 acres are available for industrial use, and roughly 2.5 acres in the former process area will be available for residential use once cleanup goals there are met.

Community members can view site records at the Livingston Parish Library in Denham Springs. For questions, residents can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, the EPA Remedial Project Manager, or the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.