as industry becomes more efficient in using water, but should still be 

 significant. Engineering contractors and industry sources indicate that 

 a 50 percent reduction in water requirements should be achieved by 1985 

 [48]. 



Community Effects 



A petrochemical plant has the following characteristics of particular 

 community interest: (1) a large parcel of land; (2) high employment; 

 (3) high investment; (4) high service requirements; (5) air pollution; 

 and (6) water requirements. 



Employment : Employment characteristics for construction and operation 

 re similar to refineries, discussed in Section 2.4.1. In each case, a 

 large construction force is required. After construction the employment 

 level drops, although the plant is a major enterprise in terms of people 

 employed and wages generated. 



Induced Effects : Petrochemical plants and offshore development do 

 not directly correlate. Production in an offshore field does not 

 automatically indicate development of a petrochemical plant onshore. 

 Therefore, construction of a petrochemical complex can be quite separate 

 from the OCS-related projects described in this part of the report. 



Effects on Living Resources 



A petrochemical plant has the following characteristics of particular 

 concern to fish and wildlife: (1) large amount of cleared, level land; 

 (2) coastal location; (3) location near the source of raw material 

 refined products; (4) air and water pollution potential; and (5) require 

 lat^ge amounts of cooling and process water. 



Location : In planning a petrochemical complex, the sponsor usually 

 desires to situate the facility as near as possible to a refinery. A 

 waterfront location is desired for marine access and for a source of 

 cooling and process water. It is not imperative to locate the facility 

 on the shore because the feedstock, products, and water can be piped. In 

 view of the pollution potential and other environmental risks associated 

 with a shorefront site, a non-waterfront location is desirable. 



Sites adjacent to tidal streams, deadend harbors, small lagoons, 

 and similar small or poorly flushed water bodies should be avoided 

 because of their extremely limited capacity to accept and assimilate 

 even small amounts of contaminants. 



It is often desirable to direct industrial development to those 

 areas which already have been modified and disrupted through existing 

 industrial development or other land alteration. If industrial development 



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