The R&H Oil Company site, also known as the Tropicana Energy site, sits on seven acres along Somerset Road in San Antonio, Texas. It operated as a petroleum refinery and fuel distribution facility from 1934 through the early 1990s. The northern tract at 403 Somerset Road housed oil refineries and a waste oil recycling facility. The southern tract at 507 Somerset Road held oil refineries, a petroleum distribution facility, and fuel and gasoline blending operations. The site was proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 2001 and remains at the proposed stage.
Contamination concerns span soil, groundwater, and soil vapor, both on-site and in surrounding areas. The EPA performed a removal action between August and October 2001 that cleared asbestos-containing materials, tank and piping contents, and visibly contaminated soils, and demolished tanks and equipment. A separate source notes the removal action ran from August 2001 to March 2002. Because that difference falls within a range of a few months and may reflect different phase cutoffs, both timeframes are noted here as stated in the source materials.
The responsible parties have been conducting a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) under EPA oversight since March 2010. This study collects soil, groundwater, and soil vapor data to define the nature and extent of remaining contamination and evaluate human health and ecological risks. The RI/FS for Operable Unit 1 (OU-01) is expected to wrap up by November 2025. Multiple Administrative Orders of Consent were finalized between 2006 and 2014, and a Consent Decree was issued in June 2008.
As of now, EPA has determined that human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways across the site. Groundwater migration is also under control, with contamination stabilized and no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA will continue monitoring to confirm the affected groundwater stays within the original contamination area. Physical cleanup construction is not yet complete, and not all cleanup goals for current and future land uses have been met.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-related questions, contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
