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Congressman Gene Green visits area Superfund waste site
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| Congressman Green met with members of the media following his August 7 visit to the San Jacinto waste pits. Green said his office was committed to the site's cleanup but that the process would be a long one. |
By JOSH HARDWICK
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) are partnering with U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) to expedite the cleanup of the San Jacinto River waste pits.
Green visited the pits Aug. 7, with representatives from both agencies to discuss potential plans for cleaning up the site.
Located just north of the I-10 bridge on the western bank of the San Jacinto River, the 3.5 acre tract was used in the 1960s by Pasadena’s Champion Paper Co. to dispose of its mill waste.
This waste – the byproduct of the paper mill’s bleaching process – contains dangerously high levels of dioxins that have since leaked into the river and nearby Galveston Bay when part of the site became submerged.
Dioxin levels found in the water and in nearby wildlife prompted the Texas Department of State Health Services to issue an advisory in 1990 warning residents against eating more than one fish or crab caught from the area each month.
According to the EPA dioxins can cause a number of adverse health effects in humans, including skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage and even cancer.
The chemical compound is also thought to be responsible for adverse reproductive and developmental effects in humans and wildlife.
In 2007, a report of the pits’ condition was submitted for consideration of federal clean-up funding from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (aka Superfund) and was subsequently approved in March, 2008.
Green said that although qualifying for Superfund assistance has already proved critical in hastening the clean-up effort, much more work needs to be done before the area becomes safe for recreational use again.
“It takes time because we first have to do our due diligence and identify who may be responsible for the contamination, and then give them appropriate time to respond,” he said.
Superfund Remedial Project Manager Stephen Tzhone said that contacting responsible parties is the next step in the clean-up process.
“As we go through that process we will coordinate with the responsible parties to measure the extent of the damages, followed by an evaluation of all alternatives we can utilize,” he said. “The next step is to interact with the public and show what those alternatives are.”
Identifying the company responsible for the mess has proved problematic in itself, Green said. The site was purchased in the 1960s by McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp., a now-defunct company that allowed the Champion paper mill to dump its waste there.
The site is currently owned by Virgil C. McGinnes , trustee, although no representatives from that organization could be reached for comment.
To compound matters, ownership of the mill responsible for dumping the waste changed hands several times between the years of 1987 and 2000.
However, Green said that by law landowners assume responsibility for activities conducted on their property and that investigations are under way to determine exactly who that is in this case.
“We’ll make them an offer where they can either clean it up themselves or we’ll clean it up and bill them,” he said.
Green added that, given the difficult nature of the contamination with the submerged pits, the amount of money needed to clean up the area would be considerable - possibly even more than the $1.25 billion appropriated by Congress for all 1,250 designated Superfund sites in the United States.
“I don’t know if we could use all of that here, but it will be very expensive to do this since it is all underwater,” he said. “It’s much easier on dry land.”
Once all the legal red tape has been cleared, Tzhone said that possible solutions might include dredging and burning contaminated sediments or stabilization, a process in which the sediments are treated with chemicals that neutralize the dioxins present.
Green would not comment on a time table for completion of the clean-up process, but said that his office is working as fast as possible to move things along.
“Until we know the full nature and extent of the contamination it will be impossible to say how long it will take to clean up, and by what methods,” said Marshall CediloteTCEQ spokesman..
As the representative of many fishing enthusiasts, and himself an avid fisherman, Green said that he will use his position as chairman of the Congressional Environment and Hazardous Material Subcommittee to help move that process along.
“We benefit from industry with jobs and a tax base, but we also want to make sure we can continue to use [Galveston Bay] for recreational purposes.”
For more information on the Superfund program and the San Jacinto waste pits, visit the EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/superfund
Green visited the pits Aug. 7, with representatives from both agencies to discuss potential plans for cleaning up the site.
Located just north of the I-10 bridge on the western bank of the San Jacinto River, the 3.5 acre tract was used in the 1960s by Pasadena’s Champion Paper Co. to dispose of its mill waste.
This waste – the byproduct of the paper mill’s bleaching process – contains dangerously high levels of dioxins that have since leaked into the river and nearby Galveston Bay when part of the site became submerged.
Dioxin levels found in the water and in nearby wildlife prompted the Texas Department of State Health Services to issue an advisory in 1990 warning residents against eating more than one fish or crab caught from the area each month.
According to the EPA dioxins can cause a number of adverse health effects in humans, including skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage and even cancer.
The chemical compound is also thought to be responsible for adverse reproductive and developmental effects in humans and wildlife.
In 2007, a report of the pits’ condition was submitted for consideration of federal clean-up funding from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (aka Superfund) and was subsequently approved in March, 2008.
Green said that although qualifying for Superfund assistance has already proved critical in hastening the clean-up effort, much more work needs to be done before the area becomes safe for recreational use again.
“It takes time because we first have to do our due diligence and identify who may be responsible for the contamination, and then give them appropriate time to respond,” he said.
Superfund Remedial Project Manager Stephen Tzhone said that contacting responsible parties is the next step in the clean-up process.
“As we go through that process we will coordinate with the responsible parties to measure the extent of the damages, followed by an evaluation of all alternatives we can utilize,” he said. “The next step is to interact with the public and show what those alternatives are.”
Identifying the company responsible for the mess has proved problematic in itself, Green said. The site was purchased in the 1960s by McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp., a now-defunct company that allowed the Champion paper mill to dump its waste there.
The site is currently owned by Virgil C. McGinnes , trustee, although no representatives from that organization could be reached for comment.
To compound matters, ownership of the mill responsible for dumping the waste changed hands several times between the years of 1987 and 2000.
However, Green said that by law landowners assume responsibility for activities conducted on their property and that investigations are under way to determine exactly who that is in this case.
“We’ll make them an offer where they can either clean it up themselves or we’ll clean it up and bill them,” he said.
Green added that, given the difficult nature of the contamination with the submerged pits, the amount of money needed to clean up the area would be considerable - possibly even more than the $1.25 billion appropriated by Congress for all 1,250 designated Superfund sites in the United States.
“I don’t know if we could use all of that here, but it will be very expensive to do this since it is all underwater,” he said. “It’s much easier on dry land.”
Once all the legal red tape has been cleared, Tzhone said that possible solutions might include dredging and burning contaminated sediments or stabilization, a process in which the sediments are treated with chemicals that neutralize the dioxins present.
Green would not comment on a time table for completion of the clean-up process, but said that his office is working as fast as possible to move things along.
“Until we know the full nature and extent of the contamination it will be impossible to say how long it will take to clean up, and by what methods,” said Marshall CediloteTCEQ spokesman..
As the representative of many fishing enthusiasts, and himself an avid fisherman, Green said that he will use his position as chairman of the Congressional Environment and Hazardous Material Subcommittee to help move that process along.
“We benefit from industry with jobs and a tax base, but we also want to make sure we can continue to use [Galveston Bay] for recreational purposes.”
For more information on the Superfund program and the San Jacinto waste pits, visit the EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/superfund
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