Flood-damaged Superfund sites in Texas cause alarm

September 7th, 2017 by Dakota Software Staff

There are 41 Superfund sites in Texas and, as detailed in an EPA statement published September 2, 13 of those sites experienced flooding and possible damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Two sites were already inspected and officials deemed emergency cleanup unnecessary. However, crews hoping to investigate the remaining 11 sites haven't done so because flood waters in the area have not receded to a safe level. In lieu of physical inspection, officials conducted aerial surveys of the site instead.

According to the EPA, Superfund sites are areas suffering from hazardous levels of contamination. The EPA and other parties are responsible for cleaning and revitalizing them. Following accidents or natural disasters, sites housing toxins and harmful chemicals can become calamitous and dangerous to the health and safety of area residents and wildlife. The EPA partners with states, other federal agencies, land owners, local communities and any parties responsible for the contamination to reclaim and protect the tainted lands.

Safety concerns still mounting in aftermath of powerful hurricane

Hurricane Harvey's devastation left EPA officials and residents near Superfund sites wary of the potential contamination hazards these areas now pose. One site in San Jacinto, 20 miles south of downtown Houston, made headlines in recent days over potential danger and controversy surrounding its status.

According to NPR, the San Jacinto site is in the middle of the San Jacinto River. It was a waste containment facility originally used as a toxic dumping site for a paper mill in the 1960s. Chemicals known as dioxins are the primary contaminants. Scott Jones of the Galveston Bay Foundation, an organization that partners with federal agencies to clean bodies of water in the region, said the area was not the best place to put a chemically hazardous site.

"That site started sinking into the river, so probably since the mid-'70s about half that pit has been permanently underwater," Jones told NPR. "So all those years that dioxin can get out into the water."

In the days leading up to the EPA releasing their official statement, initial reports speculated that a temporary, armored cap covering a contaminant well at the San Jacinto site was removed by the flood waters, according to local source Chron. The EPA conducted an aerial investigation of the suspected cap and determined it was still intact, according to its press release.

Most citizens in areas near affected Superfund sites have not yet been told by the EPA or Texas Commission on Environmental Quality if mud and debris delivered by the hurricane contains harmful elements. Many have already returned to begin the process of rebuilding, regardless.