North FTIR/SUMMA Canister

Environmental Monitoring 

Offsite monitoring programs track the quality of the air in the nearby city of Point Comfort and the quality of the water in Lavaca Bay where Formosa releases the cleaned and treated water from the plants.

The Air Monitoring systems in a FTIR unit (Fourier Transform Infrared) operating 24-hours per day and providing real-time readings of seven chemicals that could come from the Formosa Plant.  If air concentrations of any of these chemicals approach levels where their effects on health could be a concern, the computer system automatically notifies the Environmental Section.  A computer readout shows what chemical is being detected so the Environmental Section will know which plant is involved.  In support of this, four widely separated SUMMA Canister  locations in the vicinity can be triggered to pull manual samples for full-scale laboratory analysis.  These SUMMA Canisters are also part of the normal air monitoring program in that they are triggered at irregular intervals for general testing of the air quality in Point Comfort

Supplemental Environmental Projects 

Supplemental environmental projects, or SEPs, are beneficial environmental projects that are approved by TCEQ and funded by companies involved in enforcement actions. Third-parties are eligible to apply to receive SEP funding for approved environmental projects. More information on this program can be found on the TCEQ website at www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/enforcement/sep.