Background
The Former Augusta Refinery (FAR) operated from 1917 to 1983 when Williams bought the property from Mobil Oil Corporation. Williams maintained a pipeline terminal operation on the property until 1995 when all operations were terminated. Today, Williams is working closely with both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Kansas Department of Environmental Quality to assess and resolve potential environmental issues associated with the former refinery operations. This project is being facilitated by an Administrative Order on Consent between Williams and the EPA and is expected to take several years to complete. The objective of this work is to achieve regulatory closure of the identified units and areas of concern using KDHE and EPA-accepted risk-based cleanup standards and to redevelop this property in conjunction with the Butler County Economic Development Board.
Williams Redevelopment Vision
Williams believes that the FAR property, long viewed as an unusable industrial brownfield, can be evaluated within a reasonable timeframe and significant portions of the property returned to productive commercial use by the local community. The Williams Project Management Team believes this objective can be accomplished by working with all of the stakeholders involved to develop the best long-term result. The project is anticipated to require several years to complete and will involve the development and evaluation of substantial amounts of information. By working in a safe and efficient manner with the end objective in mind, this project can demonstrate the value of an integrated, cooperative effort between industry, the regulators and the community.