Mile 232.2 - LBD ExxonMobil

232.2 LBD ExxonMobil

And now the whopper with the big ships, buckle yourself in for the experience. The fortress-like ExxonMobil Refinery can no longer call itself the largest refinery in the world, but it is still a megalith of pipes and cat crackers, and is the 3rd largest in the country. The ExxonMobil facility here sprawls over 2,100 acres and processes over 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day. The facility first opened in 1909 as part of the Standard Oil Company and now produces an array of products including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants and waxes. Newspapers from when the facility was first developed ensured local residents not to worry about the pollution from the facility because it would be dumped in the river and washed away. Things have progressed since then but there is regularly a dark colored discharge that enters the river behind the lower end of the ExxonMobil dock. This area should be avoided by paddlers.

The expansion of the ExxonMobil facility led to an unfortunate but inevitable conflict between the growing industry and the adjacent neighborhood. As of today, Exxon has cleared approximately 250 acres of open space along it's Eastern fence line, creating a buffer zone. This 250 acres represents the removal of hundreds of homes and the dismantling of the local community, one of many such events in SoLA.