Oil Pollution in Ecuador: A Devised Remediation Approach An Interactive Qualifying Project Report Submitted to: Primary WPI Advisor: David DiBiasio WPI Advisor Constance A. Clark WPI Advisor Natalie A. Mello Faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted by: ________________________ Chris Baker ________________________ Chad Caisse ________________________ Ben Johnson Date: December 17th, 2009 _____________________________ Professor David DiBiasio Primary Project Advisor ii ABSTRACT Research is required to remediate the oil contamination left by Texaco in Ecuador and its effects. These effects and potential methods of their remediation are analyzed with respect to water, soil, and the affected indigenous peoples. We propose a five-part approach to the contamination, the Five Components of Remediation, which is divided into the Primary Component, Site Assessment, and the Four Ancillary Components: Water Treatment, Source Removal, Soil Treatment, and Minimization of Psychological and Sociological Impacts. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Without the contributions of many individuals and organizations, this project would not have been possible. Many thanks to Congressman Jim McGovern, his legislative director Cindy Buhl, and the rest of his staff for facilitating the creation of the project. We would like thank the Washington Office on Latin America for providing work space and connections. Our appreciation goes out to Doug Beltman of Stratus Consulting and Mark Quarles of eTech International for sharing their technical knowledge and their professional input. Finally, we would like to thank the project advisors for their assistance and guidance throughout the project experience. iv AUTHORSHIP PAGE The signatures below verify that work relating to this report was completed collectively. Each section of the final report was completed with the collaboration of all group members signing below. Chris Baker, Chad Caisse, and Ben Johnson each contributed equal efforts in the research, writing, and editing of the final report. ______________________ Chris Baker ______________________ Chad Caisse ______________________ Ben Johnson v TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE _________________________________________________________________________________________ i ABSTRACT ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ____________________________________________________________________________ iii AUTHORSHIP PAGE _______________________________________________________________________________ iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ______________________________________________________________________________ v LIST OF TABLES __________________________________________________________________________________ viii LIST OF FIGURES _________________________________________________________________________________ viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ____________________________________________________________________________ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________________________ 1 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND _______________________________________________________________________ 4 2.1: GEOGRAPHY OF ECUADOR _______________________________________________________________ 4 2.2: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF NORTHEASTERN ECUADOR ________________________________ 5 2.3: OIL EXTRACTION __________________________________________________________________________ 7 2.3.1: OIL EXPLORATION __________________________________________________________________ 8 2.3.2: OIL WELLS ___________________________________________________________________________ 9 2.3.3: OIL DRILLING ______________________________________________________________________ 10 2.4: OIL PROCESSING _________________________________________________________________________ 11 2.5: COMMONLY FOUND MATERIALS IN CONTAMINATED SOILS _______________________ 13 2.6: OIL INDUSTRY IN ECUADOR ____________________________________________________________ 15 2.7: HISTORY OF OIL PRODUCTION IN ECUADOR _________________________________________ 16 2.7.1: THE ECUADOR OIL CONSORTIUM _______________________________________________ 17 2.7.2: THE TEXACO YEARS: 1964 – 1990 _______________________________________________ 17 2.7.3: PETROECUADOR TAKES OVER: 1990 – 1992 ___________________________________ 18 2.7.4: OIL COMPANIES INVOLVED AFTER TEXACO’S DEPARTURE: 1992 – PRESENT __________________________________________________________________________________ 19 2.8: IMPACT OF OIL PRODUCTION ON ECONOMY _________________________________________ 20 2.9: OIL POLLUTION IN ECUADOR __________________________________________________________ 21 2.9.1: LACK OF GOVERNMENT CONTROL ______________________________________________ 22 2.9.2: MAGNITUDE OF POLLUTION IN ECUADOR _____________________________________ 23 2.9.3: IMPACT ON THE ECUADORIANS _________________________________________________ 24 2.10: AGUINDA V. TEXACO: THE ECUADORIAN’S FIGHT BACK ___________________________ 24 2.11: TEXACO REMEDIATION EFFORTS ____________________________________________________ 25 2.12: SITE ASSESSMENT TOOLS _____________________________________________________________ 27 2.12.1: SOIL SAMPLING EQUIPMENT ___________________________________________________ 27 2.12.2: WATER SAMPLING EQUIPMENT _______________________________________________ 28 2.13: REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SOILS __________________________________________ 28 2.13.1: ONSITE REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES __________________________________________ 29 2.13.1.1: SOIL VAPOR EXTRACTION ________________________________________________ 29 2.13.1.2: PUMP AND TREAT SYSTEMS______________________________________________ 30 2.13.1.3: DEGRADATION _____________________________________________________________ 31 2.13.1.4: BIOREMEDIATION _________________________________________________________ 32 vi 2.13.1.5: CHEMICAL OXIDATION ____________________________________________________ 34 2.13.1.6: ADDITIONAL METHODS ___________________________________________________ 35 2.13.2: OFFSITE REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES ________________________________________ 36 2.13.2.1: LAND FARMING ____________________________________________________________ 36 2.13.2.2: AUTOMATED CHEMOSTAT TREATMENT _______________________________ 37 2.14 REMEDIATION IN ECUADOR ___________________________________________________________ 37 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY____________________________________________________________________ 39 3.1: VISUALS __________________________________________________________________________________ 39 3.2: RELEVANT EVENTS _____________________________________________________________________ 40 3.3: INTERVEIWS _____________________________________________________________________________ 41 3.4: ARCHIVAL RESEARCH ___________________________________________________________________ 43 3.5: OVERALL APPROACH ___________________________________________________________________ 46 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS _________________________________________________________ 47 4.1: PHYSICAL REMEDIATION _______________________________________________________________ 47 4.1.1: WATER TREATMENT _____________________________________________________________ 47 4.1.2: SOIL TREATMENT _________________________________________________________________ 55 4.1.2.1: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIABLE REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES _________________________________________________________________________ 55 4.1.2.2: COST ANALYSIS OF APPLICABLE SOIL REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES __ 62 4.1.2.3: PROPOSAL FOR SOIL REMEDIATION ______________________________________ 64 4.1.3: PIPELINE CONSIDERATIONS _____________________________________________________ 65 4.2: PHYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL IMPACTS ____________________________________ 66 4.3: SITE ASSESSMENT _______________________________________________________________________ 67 4.4: SITE PRIORITIZATION __________________________________________________________________ 71 4.5: COMPONENTS AND PRIORITIZATION _________________________________________________ 73 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION _______________________________________________________________________ 75 GLOSSARY _________________________________________________________________________________________ 79 REFERENCES ______________________________________________________________________________________ 82 APPENDICES ______________________________________________________________________________________ 87 APPENDIX A: REVIEW OF SIONA SECOYA TRIBE __________________________________________ 88 APPENDIX B: REVIEW OF QUICHUA TRIBE ________________________________________________ 90 APPENDIX C: REVIEW OF COFÁN TRIBE ___________________________________________________ 92 APPENDIX D: INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR PLUMMER ________________________________ 95 APPENDIX E: INTERVEIW WITH DR. THOMAS WEBLER _________________________________ 97 APPENDIX F: INTERVEIW WITH CHRIS HERMAN ________________________________________ 100 APPENDIX G: INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS ___________________ 101 APPENDIX H: INDIGENOUS GROUPS AND NATURAL RESOURCE EXPLOITATION IN ECUADOR ____________________________________________________________________________________ 104 APPENDIX I: MEETING AT ECUADORIAN EMBASSY _____________________________________ 105 APPENDIX J: MEETING AT INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK _________________ 107 APPENDIX K: CABRERA REPORT APPENDIX A ___________________________________________ 108 APPENDIX L: CABRERA REPORT APPENDIX D ___________________________________________