A Shreveport wastewater treatment company is seeking to resume operations despite a federal and state probe that it illegally dumped potentially toxic wastewater into Red River.
CCS Midstream Services LLC, which accepts and treats oil and gas exploration and production wastewater, shut down its Port of Shreveport-Bossier facility in October 2007. The closure came after a series of inspections by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials revealed possible illegal wastewater dumping into Red River and hazardous waste hidden in off-site tanks, federal and state records show.
EPA and DEQ records also reveal concerns about the presence of dangerous toxins, such as benzene, toluene and xylene, in wastewater and sludge treated by the company, and serious irregularities in water testing and record keeping.
Yet, CCS, formerly ARKLA Disposal Services, Inc., is seeking permission to discharge wastewater and storm water that ultimately would find its way into Red River, records reveal. The facility, which also reclaims oil from wastewater, is the only one of its kind in the area, a Shreveport official said.
CCS spokesman Walter D. James III says the company self-reported the potential violations to the EPA after an employee made management aware. The company is cooperating with investigators, including turning over documents subpoenaed by a federal grand jury regarding a criminal investigation, he said.
"CCS takes pride in its reputation ... in its stewardship of the environment," said James, a Grapevine, Texas-based environmental law attorney. "CCS (is) as aghast at these allegations as everyone downstream is and they are cooperating fully with the EPA and DEQ."
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