San Jacinto River Cleanup:
Action Alert!

Please contact the EPA to support the San Jacinto River Superfund cleanup; see sample letter below.

One of the most toxic waste dumps in the United States is located just east of Houston, where I-10 crosses the San Jacinto River. In 1968, two companies abandoned pits containing dioxin filled paper mill waste that eventually submerged into the San Jacinto River. When the Waste Pits were rediscovered in 2005, they presented a tremendous threat to public health and the environment. A temporary containment structure (cap) has proven highly problematic in its 5 short years of existence. In December 2015, an EPA dive team discovered a 25 ft. by 22 ft. hole in the temporary cap.

The good news is that the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed their preferred remediation plan to fully remove 202,000 cubic yards of contaminated material from the San Jacinto River Waste Pits. The EPA proposal recommends isolating the Pits, dewatering the site, excavating the contaminated material in sections, and hauling the waste to a permitted facility to permanently and safely contain the wastes.

A study commissioned by the San Jacinto River Coalition in 2015, identified seven Superfund sites similar to the Waste Pits in terms of toxicity and location in a tidally influenced waterway. The EPA required removal of the highest concentrations of waste at all seven sites. The residents and environment of the hurricane prone Harris and Galveston Counties should be treated no differently. The cleanup decision should be finalized by the end of the year.  Please write a letter to the EPA to support the full removal!

Below is a sample letter (personalize as you wish):
Note: email address for the regional administrator is c/o:  gray.david@epa.gov

Acting Regional Administrator Samuel Coleman
U.S. EPA Region 6
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75202

RE: Full removal of San Jacinto Waste Pits

I am writing in support of the full removal of the San Jacinto Waste Pits. This is a serious problem that needs to be cleaned up completely, and not pushed onto future generations.

We need the EPA to require the responsible parties to clean up the Waste Pits, located in a tidally influenced river channel, before the Site can be further disrupted. It would only take one barge strike or one hurricane to cause catastrophic damage to the Pits if left in place. Removal is the only option.

Please require third party oversight during the remediation process to insure the work is done safely and with integrity.

Sincerely,
Your name
Your address

Below are some short videos about the San Jacinto Waste Pits.
For questions or more information about this issue contact Jackie Young at JYoung@txhea.org or visit the Texas Health & Environmental Alliance at https://txhea.org/

Overview of Waste Pits with T. O'Rourke:
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Samn6wLYpT0

Summary by Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=NNLkYagQ2NU

Flooding danger to Waste Pits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=F7rLYlMyCe4

Website at GBF for information:
http://www.galvbay.org/remove- san-jacinto-river-toxic-waste/