About The Area
Catlettsburg is located in the northeast corner of Kentucky at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy rivers. It is considered part of the Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio "Tri-state area". The two most significant landmarks in Catlettsburg are the flood wall and the Catlettsburg Refinery. The latter is owned by Marathon Petroleum Company (formerly Ashland, Inc., then Marathon Ashland Petroleum, LLC).
In 1937, a large snowfall and subsequent rainfall in the mountains of West Virginia swept massive amounts of water into the Ohio River. Catlettsburg was completely inundated with water from this runoff, and what would later be called the 1937 Flood convinced Ashland, Ironton, Catlettsburg and Russell that they needed permanent flood protection.
The flood wall/levy was completed in 1951, constructed by Federal funds with assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Works Progress Administration.
Catlettsburg is home to the Catlettsburg Refinery, which is owned by Marathon Petroleum Corporation. It was purchased in 1924 by Swiss Oil Corporation (then parent company of Ashland Inc.) and became fully owned by Marathon in 2005. The refinery sits on a 650-acre (2.6 km2) site, has a capacity of 212,000 barrels (33,700 m3) per calendar day and is staffed by more than 800 employees.
The ISO 9001-2000 approved refinery processes a wide range of sweet and sour crudes, both imported and domestic. The product mix includes gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, jet fuel, asphalt, propane, propylene, heavy oil (predominately slurry), cumene, toluene, xylene, sulfur and dilute naphthalene oil. The refinery produces low sulfur gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD).
The facility has a rich tradition extending back to the 1920s. Ashland Refining Company purchased the 1,000 barrels per day (160 m3/d) plant in 1924, when it was little more than a skimming operation from which a few products were distilled. Partially built to assist the World War II effort, the Catlettsburg Refinery is a landmark for what is commonly known as the “Tri-State area,” connecting Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio. With its strong commitment to technology, safety and its employees, the refinery soon became one of the most modern and efficient in the nation.
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Famous quotes containing the word area:
“During the Civil War the area became a refuge for service- dodging Texans, and gangs of bushwhackers, as they were called, hid in its fastnesses. Conscript details of the Confederate Army hunted the fugitives and occasional skirmishes resulted.”
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)