Formosa Plastics Corporation (FPC) discharge monitoring in Lavaca Bay, Texas, USA from 1993-05-17 to 2020-04-04

A 27-year (1993-2020) monitoring dataset was designed to evaluate the impact of an industrial discharge facility in Lavaca Bay, Texas, USA. The discharge releases effluent from the Formosa Plastics Corporation (FPC), Texas, Point Comfort facility that primarily produces polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polypropylene resins and other plastic products. The diffuser was built in July 1993 and became operational on September 22, 1993. The Receiving Water Monitoring Program was established to meet the regulatory objectives of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ, formerly the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as outlined in TCEQ Wastewater Permit # 02436, EPA Permit # TX0085570. Monitoring trips began in May of 1993 and continue today (as of April 2022), but the current dataset ends April 2020. Fixed point, sampling was collected at 19 stations. Stations were set by general circulation patterns in Lavaca Bay, zone of initial dilution, and mixing zone descriptions. Distances A-, B-, C-, D-, and R- form rings around the diffuser with a total of 4 stations per ring, except for D-stations which only have 3. There are four replicate sample locations (1, 2, 3, and 4) on each distance ring. The dataset is large, containing 672,574 rows (each with a value), and 24 columns (2 for the value and qualifier, and 22 describing the sample location and type). Variable types include conventional chemistry, contaminant chemistry in water, sediment, porewater and tissues. Plankton, nekton, and benthos were measured to study biological responses to environmental stressor effects on the ecosystem health.