Environmental monitoring in a Cuban oil storage plant to characterize the hydrocarbons pollution exposure in the fence-line community

Due to the wide application of oil in industry, large amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons have been annually released into the environment. Legacy contamination and its interaction with other risks, continue impacting a new generation of residents in the fence-line communities. The goal was to characterize the hydrocarbon pollution which could impact on the community living near to an oil plant. A Cuban oil storage plant was analyzed as a case study, in order to address the environmental monitoring of physic-chemical parameters from process industry, as factors which may be used in the spatial modelling of local vulnerability and communities resilience analysis. Firstly, the engineering research on the interest area were reviewed, from which, four comprehensively geographical strata were established. Furthermore, 19 wells were identified around the industry, which were almost exclusively used for human being consumption water. Subsequently, a monitoring program upstream, downstream and inside the plant was design. The lab results regarding hydrocarbons, fats and oils, and organic load frequently trespassed the standard requirements. The causal analysis suggested that the contamination with hydrocarbons in the aquifer was produced by infiltration in the unsaturated area, derived from the poor management of oily residuals in the plant. The results highlighted the negative impacts linked to the plant operations, which have acted as a dynamic stressor against the territory, increasing the vulnerability on the local community. The case study results not only contributed to raise the vulnerability awareness in the decision-making process, but also, have supported the effectiveness of the framework adopted.