Perhaps you’ve never considered the intricate network of pipelines that crisscross our landscapes. Today we’re standing near the Taft Lateral. It’s more than just a pipe. The Taft Lateral is a vital piece of infrastructure. It plays a role in transporting essential substances.
The Taft Lateral is an underground pipeline. It has a diameter of 4.5 inches. Construction on the Taft Lateral finished in 1970. This pipeline has been under different operators over the years. Gulf Central Pipeline Company was the old operator. Koch Pipeline Company L.P. also operated it. Kaneb Pipe Line Operating Partnership L.P. was another past operator. NuStar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.P. is the current operator. The Taft Lateral is known as pipeline 833.
The Taft Lateral has a specific purpose. It is used for transmission. It moves ammonia through the region. Ammonia is an important substance for various industries. The flow direction is forward.
Looking at the Taft Lateral it is easy to overlook the history beneath our feet. In December 1982 a major explosion occurred at the Union Carbide facility. It was about 30 miles from New Orleans. This incident caused nearly 17000 people to evacuate.
As we stand here it’s hard to imagine Taft as anything other than an industrial area. Virtually all the land is now zoned as heavy industrial. The Dow/Union Carbide Taft/Star Petrochemical Plant is here. It produces a variety of organic chemicals. These include acrolein and acrylic acid. It also produces acetaldehyde.
Once upon a time Taft was a community. The first post office opened here in 1905. It stayed in operation until 1967. Population was 700 back then. By 1977 only 36 people lived in Taft.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church once stood here. It served Taft Killona and Hahnville. The church was built in 1877. In 1963 it moved to Hahnville. The cemetery is still in Taft. It is still used as a burial ground by the church. The Dow chemical facilities bound it on three sides.
The Taft Lateral is a reminder of the complex systems that support our modern world. It underscores the importance of safety and responsible operation. It also shows the changes communities undergo over time.