ExxonMobil Proposes Neches River Dock

ExxonMobil Corporation has asked the Galveston Engineer District for permits to dredge a coker drum unloading site and a to build a coke/distillate dock at a site on the Neches River at ExxonMobil’s Beaumont (Texas) Refinery.

Dredging at Docks 2, 4 and 5 was previously authorized by the Corps. Maintenance dredging permits have expired, but maintenance dredging of Docks 4 and 5 was authorized by a nationwide permit after Hurricane Harvey. The company is asking to consolidate all previously authorized dredging into a single permit that would allow it to dredge these locations to a depth of 44 feet mean lower low water (MLLW). The hydraulically dredged material would be placed in placement area (PA) 25A or, alternatively, in PA 26 or 16.

The applicant requests a permit to mechanically excavate about 100 cubic yards of material from the coker drum offloading site. The material would be placed into roll-off boxes, decanted and dewatered, then shipped to disposal into the Allied Waste Gulf West Landfill and/or the Golden Triangle Landfill.

The new distillate dock would be located with an existing coke dock area. The proposed dock would be about 9,900 square feet in size, including walkways and ancillary structures.  Existing mooring buoys and breasting dolphins would be removed and replaced with new ones. A new depth marker would be placed across from the dock.

The last maintenance dredging of this area was performed after Hurricane Harvey under the previously mentioned national permit, to a depth of 44 feet MLLW. About 12,000 cubic yards of material is proposed for hydraulic dredging for the distillate dock area. The material would be placed into PA 25 or the same alternate areas as above.