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Formosa Outfalls

Formosa Plastics has an expired but new pending TPDES permit for its facilities at Point Comfort (Permit Number WQ0002436). The former permit covered the release of ‘trace’ amounts of plastics into Lavaca Bay via outfalls (001, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13). The new proposed permit is requesting zero discharge of plastics via the outfalls 001, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14. Outfall 001 discharges directly into Lavaca Bay and stormwater outfalls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14 discharge into Cox Creek. Outfall 13 discharges into Cox Bay and outfall 11 discharges into Lavaca Bay via Formosa’s loading dock.

Cox Creek can be seen to the right of the Formosa industrial complex. Note that the TCEQ labeled outfall 12 as being at the northern end of the complex, but nurdle surveys have shown the outfall to actually be downstream of that.

Below are photos of each of these outfalls.

Outfall 002
Confluence of outfalls 002, 004 and 005
Outfall 007
Outfall 008
Outfall 009
Outfall 012
Again, note that TCEQ labels the outfall as being upstream of the main Formosa industrial complex, while nurdle surveys show the outfall to be downstream, as seen at the bottom of this aerial.