Hundreds of Dump Trucks Hauling Contaminated Material From San Jac Superfund Site

Cleanup operations at the Southern Pit of the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site started last fall. Since then the EPA reports that trucks have hauled 16,000 cubic yards of material from the site for off-site disposal. EPA officials have been meeting every week to get updates on the progress from onsite personnel which includes third party oversight from EPA contractors.

The cleanup is taking much longer to begin at the Northern Pit, in part because International Paper and Waste Management, the companies responsible for the toxic chemicals, have pushed a proposal to leave contaminated material onsite. THEA believes area residents will not be safe until the toxic waste is completely removed.  THEA reached out to the EPA this week and officials said they still want the responsible companies to remove the contamination. The EPA is pushing for an independent third party to evaluate the options.

Southern Pit Progress: Here are a few pictures of the work going on at the Southern Pit, courtesy of the Star-Courier News and THEA supporter Greg Moss.