ENVIRONMENTAL  PROTECTION AGENCY
            OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT
          REMOTE SENSING REPORT
 GALVESTON BAY, HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL
                TRINITY BAY
              HOUSTON, TEXAS
NATIONAL FIELD INVESTIGATIONS C E N TE R-D E N V E R
             DENVER.COLORADO
                    AND
          REGION VI  DALLAS, TEXAS
                 APRIL 1972
                                       tLEAl

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       ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

            OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT
            REMOTE SENSING REPORT

                GALVESTON BAY

             HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL

                 TRINITY BAY

                HOUSTON, TEXAS

                FEBRUARY 1972
                 Prepared by

NATIONAL FIELD INVESTIGATIONS CENTER - DENVER

              DENVER, COLORADO

                     and

           REGION VI DALLAS, TEXAS
                 APRIL 1972

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                         REMOTE SENSING REPORT




                             GALVESTON BAY




                          HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL




                              TRINITY BAY




                            HOUSTON.  TEXAS




                             FEBRUARY 1972






INTRODUCTION




     An aerial remote sensing program, requested by EPA Region VI,  is




being conducted approximately twice every month from February 1972  to




January 1973.  The report contained herein establishes the intelligence




obtained from the first mission.  The areas  covered during this mission




are given as follows:




     a)  Houston Ship Channel - from the Turning Basin, at Buffalo




         Bayou, to Morgan Point;




     b)  Galveston Bay - from Morgan Point along the Houston Ship




         Channel to the Gulf of Mexico; and




     c)  Trinity Bay - in the vicinity of the Houston Lighting and




         Power Company cooling water canal discharge.




MISSION PURPOSE




     The expressed purpose of this aerial reconnaissance program was to




fulfill the following objectives:




     a)  provide industrial outfall trend data;




     b)  provide data regarding the presence and the sources of oil




         pollution especially in the Houston Ship Channel; and

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     c)  provide data regarding the presence of  thermal  pollution in




         Trinity Bay.




BACKGROUND




     Three previous missions were flown over the Houston Ship Channel




and Galveston Bay during July 1971.  Nearly all  of the industrial dis-




charges  into the Channel  were documented during that effort.




CHRONOLOGICAL DATA




     This mission was conducted on 18 February 1972.   The time over




target was 1100 to 1230 hours CST.  The flight altitudes were maintained




at 3,400 feet and 2,250 feet MSL (above-mean-sea level).




AIRCRAFT SENSOR DATA




     The reconnaissance data were recorded aboard two high performance




aircraft.  Each aircraft contained three framing cameras and an Infrared




Line Scanner (IRLS).   All cameras were mounted in the tri-vertical array,




i.e., mounted in their respective vertical positions  coincident with




the nadir of the aircraft.  Each of the cameras  was uploaded with different




film/optical filter combinations.  They were capable  of  recording the




presence of optical energy within the following  bands of the optical spec-




trum:




     (a)  Near ultraviolet, resulting in a 4.5"  X 4.5" negative -




          Kodak 2403  recording film with a Wratten 47A gelatin optical




          filter;




     (b)  Visible region of the optical spectrum, resulting in a true




          color 4.5"  X 4.5" positive aerographic ektachrome transparency  -




          Kodak S0-397 aerographic ektachrome film with  a Wratten HF-3/HF-5




          optical filter combination; and

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     (c)  Near infrared  region  of  the optical spectrum which was over-

          lapped with a  portion of  the visible spectrum (red, orange),

          resulting in an aerographic ektachrome 4.5" X 4.5" false color

          (rendition) transparency  - Kodak 2443 aerographic film with a

          Wratten 16 gelatin  optical filter.

     This viewing angle  of each camera was 41° about the aircraft's

nadir as shown below:
                                                   AIICIAFT
                                                   ALTITUDE
                          GROUND  LEVEL
     The IRLS is a cryogenic device  (optical and electronic) capable of

detecting passive electromagnetic energy resulting from target thermal

emissions in the infrared  band from  8 to 14 microns (1 micron=10   meters)

It has a cross-track scan  angle of 120  about the aircraft's nadir, as

shown below:
       i • •
       1
    AIRCRAFT
    ALTITUDE
       i
                            GROUND  LEVEL

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The first two photographic media discussed  above were chosen expressly




for their capability of recording the presence of oil/grease.   Oils




are known to be fluorescent compounds (a fluorescent compound  absorbs




incident radiation and re-emits energy at a longer wavelength  than that




of the incident.  If the re-emitted energy wavelength is equal to that




of the incident radiation, this is called resonance or resonant fluores-




cence.) and have a characteristic wavelength,  in the near ultraviolet




region, of approximately 0.38 microns.  The black-and-white film is




capable of recording this fluorescent radiation in the near ultraviolet




band.  The true-color transparencies are used  to provide correct color




rendition(s) of targets in question and are extensively used in location




and target identification work.




     The false color infrared film was used for the documentation of




effluent dispersion patterns in water, which was due to the wider color




separation in the false color rendition.  It is also used for  the detection




and identification of shrouded or masked (due to color likeness or foliage)




waterways.  This film provides information for the documentation of  re-




lative turbidity/DO levels in addition to biological growth detection  and




identification.




DESCRIPTION OF DATA REDUCTIONS




     The results of the interpretation of the airborne reconnaissance




data are presented with respect to each target area (items a,b, and  c  of the




Introduction) in the following paragraphs:

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I.   Houston Ship Channel




     1.   Buffalo Bayou - A great  part  of  the dark  yellowish-brown sub-




         stance seen on the surface of the  Ship Channel water was coming




         from Buffalo Bayou upstream of  the Turning  Basin.




     2.   A reddish-brown substance was being discharged from the Armour




         Fertilizer Company complex.   The outfall  was  located on the




         southern bank of  the Ship Channel  approximately  1,600  feet




         downstream of the mouth  of the Turning Basin.  The discharge




         plume extended downstream, along the  Channel's bank, 125 feet




         before dispersing.




     3.   Bray's Bayou - The water, which was slowly  flowing into the Ship




         Channel from Bray's Bayou, was extremely  dark in color exhibiting




         septic tendencies.  The  mixing of  these two waters was quite




         slow to the point of well defined  boundaries  existing  between




         them.  This is shown in  Figure 1.




     4.   A yellowish-gray  substance was being  discharged  at a point  in




         the waterway commonly known as Harrisburg Bend adjacent to  the




         southernmost  tip  of Brady Island.   The  discharge point appeared




         to be submerged.   The substance could be  traced  223 feet out into




         the waterway before dispersing.




     5.   A black substance was being discharged  into the  Harrisburg  Bend




         waterway from a cove or  indentation located on  the southern tip




         of Brady Island,  as shown in  Figure 1.  This  cove was  160 feet




         wide at its mouth and extends 208  feet  inland from the loading




         dock.  The plume  extended 97  feet  into  the  above mentioned water-

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     BRAY'S  BAYOU
       EXTREMELY
      DARK WATERS
                            HOUSTON SHIP
                              CHANNEL
                                           BLACK SUBSTANCE
                                           BEING DISCHARGED
SCALE  IS APPROXIMATELY 1:7,000.
                     Figure
I  B r a d v  Island Area

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                                                                6



    way from the same loading  dock.   The discharge was definitely




    not oil.




6.  A small oil slick was  harboring  adjacent  to  a ship docked at




    Building 31 within the Navigational District Complex.  The




    surface area of this slick was 14,700  feet2  (140' X  105').




7.  An outfall was located on  the Ship Channel's southern  bank,




    within the Charter International Company's complex.  It was




    1,600 feet upstream from their main dock  (adjacent to  Manchester




    Terminal).  The content of the  discharge was, for the most




    part, water whose temperature was warmer  than the ambient




    receiving water temperature.  A  small  quanitity of oil was




    also being discharged  from this  respective point.  The result-




    ing slick measured 173 feet at  its widest point and  835 feet




    downstream from the outfall position.   The slick was extremely




    thin.




8.  Small, scattered oil slicks were observed in the Channel water




    adjacent to the Manchester Terminal Corporation's docking area




    located immediately upstream from Simms Bayou.  The  slicks were




    extremely thin.  The source of  the oil could not be  established.




9.  The water from Simms Bayou, which was  flowing into the Ship




    Channel, was extremely dark indicating septic tendencies.




10. At the time of flight, the Simms Bayou Turning Basin contained




    several small oil slicks.   They  covered approximately  one-fourth




    the total area of the Turning Basin.   The source of  the oil




    could not be established.

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                                                                7

11.  Traces of oil were being discharged  from  two separate locations


     along the southern shore bank of  the Channel.  This area was


     within the Atlantic Richfield Refining Company complex.  The


     discharge positions were 1,280 feet  and 2,250 feet respectively


     downstream from the crown of  Simms Bayou  Turning Basin.  The


     first outfall appeared  to be  submerged and  resulted in a small


     oil slick that measured 118 feet  by  14 feet.  The second outfall


     was positioned at the Channel's surface.  The width of the out-


     fall was 27 feet.  This position  effected an extremely thin oil


     slick that measured 540 feet  long and 42  feet at its widest point.




     Three known outfall positions, 1,750 feet,  2,400 feet and 3,200


     feet, respectively, downstream from  Simms Bayou Turning Basin,


     were not discharging at the time  of  flight.  The latter connects


     two holding ponds to the Ship Channel waters.  The ponds contained

                                                o
     small oil slicks, the largest being  750 feet  .


12.  A turbid substance was  being  discharged,  at the time of flight,


     from a small waterway that entered the Ship Channel on its north-


     ern bank approximately  1,695  feet upstream  from the Texaco slip.


     The source and the chemical nature of the discharge could not


     be determined.  The complexes of  Velsicol Chemical Corporation


     and the General American Tank Storage Terminal Company are adjacent


     to this respective waterway.


13.  Houston Lighting and Power Company's outfall was discharging water


     at the time of flight.   The water was not warmer than the ambient


     temperature of the Vince Bayou waters.  The outfall was located


     665 feet upstream, on the western bank of Vince Bayou, from the


     southern bank of the Ship Channel.

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                                                                8





14.  The U.S. Plywood - Champion Paper  Company's  submerged outfall




     was discharging a reddish-brown substance  at the  time of flight.




     The outfall was located  1,355 feet downstream  from  the eastern




     crown of Vince Bayou and 58 feet into  the  water from the Channel's




     southern bank.  The above-mentioned substance floated on the




     surface of the Ship Channel waters and could be easily traced



     downstream for more than a mile before nearly complete dispersion




     had occurred.



15.  An oil spill was in progress at the Crown  Central Petroleum




     Corporation complex.  Oil, mixed with  a black substance




     (probably coke),was being discharged from  a  chute measuring




     10 feet wide and 112 feet in length.  The  chute was  located 87




     feet downstream from Crown Central's slip  on the  Channel's



     southern shore.  There was a floating  type skimmer anchored to




     the bank around this outfall.   It  was  containing  only a small



     portion of the total substance discharged.




     Oil was also entering the Ship Channel from  Crown Central's slip.




     The resulting  oil slick  could  be traced 435  feet  downstream from



     the above mentioned slip and extended  210  feet into  the Channel



     from the southern shore.




     Another floating skimmer was located 1,140 feet downstream  from



     Crown Central's slip. It was  within their complex.  This appara-



     tus was containing nearly all  of a yellowish-brown substance.




     The surface area of the  contained  substance  was approximately



     7,580 square feet.

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                                                                  9




 16.  A small oil slick was observed harboring between the Channel's




      southern shore and a ship docked at the complex of Horton &




      Morton, Incorporated.  The ship was washing out at the time




      of flight, which produced the slick.




 17.  Numerous small thin oil slicks were observed on the waters




      of Cottonpatch Bayou.  They covered nearly one-half of that




      water's surface.  A portion of the oil was seen emanating from




      a barge docked near the apex of the Bayou.




 18.  An oil slick was observed extending from the Ship Channel's




      northern bank, adjacent to the western edge of the mouth of




      Hunting Bayou, across the Channel waters to the southern bank.




      It then propagated downstream for approximately 1,170 feet.




 19.  A total of three separate outfalls were observed discharging




      into the Houston Ship Channel from the Olin Corporation facility.




      The locations of the outflow positions are described as follows:






Note: The point of reference will be the dock that extends out into




      the Channel and bisects the large building that lies parallel




      to the southern bank.




      a)  The position  furthest upstream  was 1,110 feet from the




      western edge of the reference point.  It was discharging a




      yellowish-brown substance whose chemical nature was unknown at




      the time of flight.  The elevation of the outfall appeared to




      be immediately below the water's surface.




      b)  The second outfall position was located 563 feet upstream

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                                                                10






     from the above-mentioned  reference  point.   It was completely




     submerged discharging  a yellowish-gray  substance whose chemical




     nature was not  known at the time  of flight.




     c)   The third outfall  position, the largest, was located  in a




     shoreline indentation  955 feet downstream  from  the  eastern




     side of the reference  point.  It  was discharging a  yellowish




     substance under considerable pressure.   The plume was 28  feet




     wide at its source and extended 264 feet out into the Channel




     before dispersing.




20.  Three outfalls  located 1,190, 1,870 and 2,395 feet,respectively,




     upstream in a small waterway that separates the Armco Steel




     Corporation and the Hess  Oil and  Chemical  Corporation facilities,




     were observed discharging a yellowish-brown substance of  un-




     known chemical  constituency.  The source(s)  of  the  discharged




     substance could not be definitely established but adjacent  to




     each discharge  point or location  was a  holding  pond, whose  con-




     tents were of an identical  color,  within  the Hess  Oil facility.




     Likewise, Armco Steel  Corporation had a holding pond, nearly




     rectangular in  shape,  whose contents displayed  the  same color.




21.  A small waterway, projecting southward  from the Channel,  was




     located between the facilities of Phosphate Chemical Corporation




     and Phillips Chemical  Corporation.   An  overhead pipeline  passed




     over this waterway near its mouth and connected Phosphate Chemi-




     cal's complex to Adams Terminal.   A yellowish-brown substance was

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                                                                11






     present in the lower  reaches  of  this waterway at  the time of




     flight.  The density  of  the  substance greatly increased at




     a point adjacent to Phillip? Chemical's  holding pond.  The




     actual source of the  turbid  substance could not be determined.




22.  There were numerous small  oil slicks that  extended across the




     Ship Channel from Armco  Steel Corporation  into Adams Terminal.




23.  A yellowish-orange substance  was being  discharged from a sub-




     merged outfall about  122 feet into  the  water of the Adams Ter-




     minal Basin from its  apex  or  southernmost  point.  Nearly all




     of the discharged substance  remained in this area.  A small




     amount of the discharge  did  follow  the  Basin's shoreline




     downstream out into the  Ship  Channel waters where final dis-




     persal was achieved.   One  of  the constituents of  this discharge,




     in small proportions, was  oil.



24.  A dark red substance  was being discharged  from an outfall located




     within the Armco Steel Corporation  facility.  The outfall posi-




     tion was established  as  being in an indentation in the Ship




     Channel's northern bank  directly opposite  the easternmost  edge




     or point of the Adam?Terminal Basin.  The  resultant plume was




     140 feet wide and extended 313 feet out into the  Channel waters



     from the northern bank.  The  plume  was  dispersing rather quickly.




25.  There were numerous small  oil slicks in the rather small water-




     way located on the eastern boundary of  the Phillips Chemical




     Corporation facility  (east of Adams Terminal and  across the

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                                                                 12






     Ship Channel south from the Todd  Ship  Yard).   There  were  two




     barges and a ship docked in this  area  at  the  time  of flight.




     The ship was in the process of  washing out  and did appear to




     be the source of one of the aforementioned  oil slicks.




26.   There was a small ditch, which  served  as  a  discharge medium  for




     a quite turbid substance, located on the  western boundary of




     the Ethyl Corporation facility.  The turbid substance entered




     the Ship Channel waters and traveled downstream where it  mixed




     with the turbid waters entering the Channel from Greens Bayou.




     This ditch was adjacent to one  of the  holding ponds  within the




     complex of the aforementioned corporation.   There  was no  water




     observed in the ditch upstream  of this holding pond.  Seepage




     or actual discharge of the liquid within  the pond  to the  ditch




     was suspected.




27.   A small waterway (large ditch)  was discharging a yellowish-




     brown substance into Greens Bayou at a point  immediately  upstream




     of the Navigational District docking facility.  This water-




     way's path was parallel to a quite large  holding pond,  located




     between Greens Bayou and the San  Jacinto  Ordnance  Depot.




     This area is within the facilities of  Southland Paper Company.




     Although a direct water path could not be positively established




     between the pond and the ditch, the color of  the substances  in




     the pond and in the ditch was  identical.

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                                                                 13




28.  A large discharge was observed  coming  from  the  pond  complex




     belonging to the Ethyl Corporation.  One  portion  of  the  dis-




     charge was an extremely dark brown substance  originating from




     the holding pond adjacent to the southern bank  of the  Ship




     Channel.  Another holding pond  was discharging  an orange-




     brown substance into a ditch leading to the Channel.   The




     third outfall, a yellowish-brown substance, had come from an




     industrial area within the above-mentioned  facility.   The tem-




     perature of the discharge was warmer than the ambient  tempera-




     ture of the receiving waters of the Channel.  The chemical




     nature of these discharges was  unknown at the time of  flight.






     Downstream of the above mentioned industrial  area, the presence




     of two large holding ponds was   recorded.  They were within




     the Ethyl Corporation facility.  At the time  of flight,  approxi-




     mately one-half of the total surface area of  these ponds was




     covered with liquid.  There was a drainage  ditch  observed that




     connected the two ponds directly to the Ship  Channel.  This




     ditch was in such a position that when the  liquid level  in




     the ponds achieved a certain depth the excess would  pass directly




     to the Channel waters.  The chemical constituency of the sub-




     stance  retained by the ponds  was not known  at the  time of  flight,






     Along the eastern boundary of Ethyl Corporation's industrial




     area were several small ponds or low areas  in the terrain.




     These ponds contained a dark brownish-gray  Substance.  At the

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                                                                14






     time of flight, the substance was passing from the above-




     mentioned ponds into a ditch which provided a direct path




     for the same to the Ship Channel waters.   The chemical con-




     stituency of the drainage was unknown at  the time of flight.




29.  The Southland Paper Company outfall was discharging an ex-




     tremely dark brown (nearly black) substance into the Ship




     Channel waters.  The location of the discharge was established




     as a submerged outfall on a peninsular projection measuring



     2,420 feet downstream, on the Channel's northern bank, from




     the peninsular tip on the eastern bank of Greens Bayou.




     The plume could be easily traced downstream from the outfall



     for more than a mile.  The Chemical nature of the discharge




     had been previously established as a sulfide liquor, in ac-



     cordance with information provided by the EPA Galveston Bay




     Field Station.




30.  An outfall, located at the Channel water's surface, was dis-




     charging a dark grayish-brown liquid at the time of flight.




     The outfall originated from a pond network adjacent to the




     Ship Channel's southern bank within the Tenneco Chemical Com-




     pany complex.  It was positioned 280 feet downstream from the



     dock gangway.  The resultant plume could  be traced downstream




     for approximately 1,570 feet before finally dispersing.



31.  There was an outfall present, at the time of flight, from the




     westernmost pond on the Boggy Bayou Peninsula (the eastern




     pond was dry).  This pond contained a dark grayish-brown sub-



     stance which was being discharged into the Ship Channel from

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                                                                15






     a ditch 1,410 feet  upstream,  on  the  southern bank, from




     the tip of  the above-mentioned peninsula.  The plume was




     localized with virtually no dispersion  evident.




32.  A ship was  seen washing  out while  being tied to  the Shell Oil




     Company dock in the Boggy Bayou  Basin.   The effluent liquid




     appeared to contain   suds.




33.  There were  two definite  outfalls that were discharging from




     the Shell Oil Company complex.   They were located 328 and 805




     feet,respectively,  downstream from Shell's docking area.  The




     former outfall was  discharging a small  volume of a reddish-




     brown liquid.  The  latter outfall  was that of Shell's sewage




     treatment facility.  This respective discharge was producing




     no discoloration in the  Ship  Channel waters.




     There was an oil slick clinging  along the Channel's southern




     bank adjacent to the Shell facility. It began 175 feet upstream




     from the sewage treatment outfall  and extended downstream




     approximately 2,300 feet. The average  width of  the slick was




     170 feet.  The source of the  oil could  not be definitely estab-




     lished .




     The trickling filter  within  Shell's sewage treatment facility




     had no evidence of  surface zoogleal  growth.  The growth is




     usually required for the filter  to perform efficiently.




     Shell's biological  pond, located adjacent to the southern bank




     of the Channel and  the western bank  of  Patrick Bayou, contained

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                                                               16






     a small amount of algal growth on the  water's  surface  and  along




     the pond's eastern boundary.




34.   Two outfalls and three holding ponds,  within the  Diamond Sham-




     rock Company facility, were seen discharging at the  time of



     flight.  The outfalls were located approximately  2,400 feet




     and 3,250 feet, respectively,  upstream from a  90° bend in



     Patrick Bayou.  They were discharging  a dark grayish-brown



     liquid substance, of unknown chemical  constituency,  into the




     Bayou.  The resultant plumes could be  traced downstream to



     the Ship Channel waters.   The  temperature  of the  discharged




     liquid increased the water temperature of  Patrick Bayou,



     making the latter somewhat warmer than the ambient Channel




     water temperature.






     The three above-mentioned ponds were located immediately to




     the east of the 90° bend  in Patrick Bayou, extending down-



     stream to its confluence  with  the Ship Channel.   The outfall




     points of these ponds were 347, 932 and 1,792  feet,  respective-



     ly, downstream from the aforementioned bend.   The first outfall




     (from the bend) was discharging a yellowish-brown substance and



     the second/third were discharging a dark brown liquid  substance



     (nearly black in color) into the waters of Patrick Bayou.




     The resultant plumes were dispersing quite slowly but  could be



     traced to the Ship  Channel.  The temperature of the  Bayou  waters




     in this area was somewhat warmer than  the  ambient temperature




     of the Ship Channel waters.  The chemical  nature  of  the above-



     mentioned outfalls  was unknown at the  time of  flight.

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                                                               17






     A discharge was entering the Ship Channel waters from the




     Diamond Shamrock Company complex.  It entered from a ditch




     that was traced directly south of the Channel's southern bank




     for 1,870 feet, where it made a clockwise 90° bend to the




     west, entering an industrial area.   There were two weirs in




     this ditch that were retaining a foamy matter.  The waste




     water in this conduit carried a yellowish-brown subs-tance




     directly to the Channel waters, achieving rapid dispersion.




     At a point approximately 1,050 feet upstream in the ditch, on




     the western bank, there appeared a dark yellow substance nearly




     in a solid state.  It was slowly being carried away by the




     current in the ditch.  The chemical constituency of these




     effluents was unknown at the time of flight.




35.   An outfall was located downstream 1,430 feet from the penin-




     sular tip of Patrick Bayou, on the Ship Channel's southern bank,




     and 2,080 feet upstream from the mouth of Tucker Bayou.   This




     outfall was discharging an extremely dark brown (nearly  black)




     substance into the Channel waters.   The discharge was being




     carried by a pipe, four feet in diameter, which was positioned




     immediately above the water's surface.  The resultant plume




     extended out into the Channel 45 feet from the end of the pipe




     and measured 28 feet at its widest point.  This effluent ap-




     peared to disperse quickly.  This position was established to




     be the main outfall of the Rohm & Haas Company.

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                                                                     18






     36.   There was an oil  slick  located mid-Channel coincident with the




          peninsula tip of  Patrick  Bayou.  The overall  length of the




          slick was 1,730 feet.   Its width was measured  to be 210 feet




          at the widest point.  The source of the oil slick could not




          be established.




     37.   A brownish-gray liquid  substance was following the western




          bank of Tucker Bayou  and  subsequently  flowed  into the Ship




          Channel.  The source  and  the  chemical  nature  of this liquid




          could not be established  due  to the lack  of imagery In this




          area.




     38.   An oil  slick was  observed mid-Channel  approximately two nau-




          tical miles downstream  from  the Baytown underpass.  This  slick




          was 1,870 feet long and 175  feet wide  (at the widest point).




          The source of the oil could  not be established due to the




          remote location of the  slick.  The type of oil in the slick




          was a processed or refined oil as opposed to  a crude oil.




II.   Galveston Bay




     1.    A scattered, discontinuous oil slick was  observed beginning




          at a point approximately  six  nautical  miles into Galveston




          Bay from Morgan Point.  It propagated  in  a southeasterly




          direction, further into the  Bay, along the Houston Ship Channel




          for approximately 12.5  nautical miles, from the aforementioned




          point, before significant dispersion was  taking place.  The

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                                                                      19





          type of oil comprising the overall  slick was  a crude oil




          and not a refined  oil.  The source  of  the  oil could not




          be established as  a result of  these flights.




     2.   An area cover (photographic) was  carried out  along the




          Houston Ship Channel in Galveston Bay  from Morgan Point  to




          the Gulf of Mexico just beyond the  jetties.   The water in




          this area was quite turbid. The  Bay floor could not be  seen




          in the imagery to  depths as shallow as one foot below the




          water's surface.   The water in the  area of Atkinson Island,




          in the upper regions of Galveston Bay, was extremely turbid.




          At the time of flight there was a moderate wind blowing  from




          the southeast.  This was causing  an up-welling of the bottom




          which contributed  to the excessive  turbidity. Also in this




          area, traces of algae were detected through photographic ex-




          posure of the presence of chlorophyll. The contour lines  in




          the water indicating the algae growth  conform, for the most




          part, to the upwelling contour lines.   The algae population




          densities were small.




III.  Trinity Bay




     The area in the vicinity of the Houston  Lighting and Power Company's




cooling water discharge canal was covered photographically and with  the




Infrared Line Scanner.  The  water being  discharged from the above-mentioned




location  was a relatively dark grayish-green color.  The resultant  plume




shape is shown in Figure 2.   This figure was  derived from the respective

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                                                                                  WIND
                                                                                  DIRECTION
                SHORELINE
                                                                                TRINITY  BAY
                                                                         CROSS-HATCHED  AREA  IMPLIES
                                                                         LANDMASS IMMEDIATELY UNDER
                                                                         THE  WATER'S SURFACE
SCALE  IS APPROXIMATELY 1:5,000
                            Figure 2 Optical  Imagery  of  H.L. &  P.  Canal

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photographic imagery.  The shape of the discharge plume and  its  dis-




persion traits, as derived from the thermal data (IRLS),  is  shown in




Figure 3.  It is easily seen that the plume entered  Trinity  Bay  and




drifted to the northeast.  The sharp boundary,  on the plume's  south-




eastern side, was due to the wind present at the time of flight.  The




entire Houston Lighting and Power Company discharge  canal is sketched




in Figure 3.  As indicated by the crosshatched  areas in the  composite




figure, the warmer water appeared at the canal's surface (waterline)  over




only a fraction of the total surface area.  (Only temperature  variations




at the water's surface are recorded by the IRLS.  Water is opaque to




this band within the intermediate infrared spectrum.  The spectral re-




flectance or radiance of water is determined entirely by its surface  which




has been established as 0.01 cm.  There is a negligible difference between




the radiance characteristics of fresh and salt  water in the  applicable




portion of the intermediate infrared spectrum which  is 8 to  14 microns.)




The reason for the warmer water not remaining on the surface,  as indicated




by the non-crosshatched area, was most probably the  following:




     The warmer water contained a constituent^ likely in a dissolved state,




that rendered the overall substance's specific  gravity greater than that




of the ambient salt water.  This would cause the former to sink  forming




a density layer current along the bottom of the canal.  Then,  approximately




800 feet upstream in the canal from the trap flume,  the warmer water  began




to surface.  As it went over the flume with the cooler water,  a  complete




thorough mixing was achieved as indicated by the crosshatched  area adjacent




to the shoreline in the canal.

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      In order  to document the dispersion patterns or characteristics of




 the aforementioned  thermal plume, a specialized flight regime was utilized




 in obtaining the required IRLS imagery.  The regime is shown in Figure 4.




 The imagery obtained is included as Figures 5 through 10.  Figure 5 is a




 print of the imagery of the main body of the plume.  Figures 6, 7 and 8




 represent the  imagery obtained from flight lines 1, 2, 3, respectively,




 in Figure A.   Figure 9 represents the imagery obtained from flight line




 4, and Figure  10, that obtained from flight line 5.  It was mentioned




 in the paragraph above that the thermal plume was drifting to the northeast




 as shown in Figure  3.  By placing Figures 6, 7 and 8 side by side, forming




 a mosaic, it can easily be seen that the current patterns in Trinity Bay




were in a clockwise spiral from the western shoreline across the bay to




 the eastern shoreline and then on into Calveston Bay.




     The thermal plume, for the most part, had cooled to a temperature




nearly equal to the receiving water ambient temperature at a point ap-




proximately 1  1/2 nautical miles northeast of the H. L. & P. canal dis-




charge.




     Within the area of the thermal plume the photographic imagery re-




vealed the presence of an algae colony approximately 1/2 nautical mile




due east of the canal discharge.  This is indicated by the double cross-




hatched area in Figure 3.




SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS




     All industrial discharges present at the time of flight were recorded




and identified to the extent possible.  The presence of oil, during this




mission, on the Channel waters was significantly less than that recorded




during the July 1971 effort.  Many industrial outfalls have been pre-




sent during the total of four missions.   As always, the discharges of

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U.S. Plywood-Champion Paper Company, Crown Central Petroleum Corporation,




Armco Steel Corporation, Ethyl Corporation, Southland Paper Company,




Diamond Shamrock Company, and Rohm and Haas Company were present.   The




septic tendencies of the Channel waters had improved negligibly from




last summer's flights.




     The turbidity levels in the upper reaches of Galveston Bay were




quite high at the time of flight.  This is felt to have been partially




caused by the southeasterly winds present at that time.




     The behavior of the Houston Lighting and Power Company's thermal




discharge was effectively documented, showing relative temperature levels



and plume dispersion patterns.
                                                            GPO 841 -BZ6

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