Jones Road Superfund Site: Focus On Testing Homes
December 13, 2022 - The Jones Road Ground Water Plume Superfund Site is starting to receive the attention it deserves. This fall, the EPA determined that more needed to be done to protect nearby residents. Now teams from the agency and, on a separate track, joint teams from THEA and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) are conducting local testing.
EPA Indoor Air Testing - THEA has been pushing the EPA to test the air in resident’s homes. Now, we’ve gotten word that the agency began testing the indoor air in people’s homes this fall and appears to have found the chemical perchloroethylene (PERC). PERC is a carcinogenic chemical commonly used by dry cleaners. The Superfund Site was caused by a local dry cleaner that poured waste chemicals into the storm drain. The EPA found PERC in low levels inside of at least one home, raising the likelihood that the chemical is being released from the ground. Scientists do not know the potential impact from being exposed to those levels of the chemical over many years.
Previous EPA tests of water wells have found PERC and another toxic chemical, trichloroethylene (TCE), at levels that are above the legal limits for federal water standards.
What the EPA air and water testing tells us is that the threat from Jones Road is still very real and more prevalent than initially thought or reported.
THEA and UTMB Team signing up residents for home testing
THEA/UTMB Testing - Teams were out this past weekend taking soil and water samples from homes that are west of the source of the Jones Road contamination. THEA has been concerned that the chemicals that have reached the groundwater aquifer in the area are still spreading, putting more residents at risk.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between THEA and UTMB. The first samples will now be analyzed by UTMB researchers to determine whether the contaminants of concern are present. The sampling effort will continue into 2023, so if you haven’t signed-up and would like to, there is still time. Email us at info@txhea.org.
Jones Road In The News - Jones Road is also getting more attention from the media recently. In addition to an early story from Community Impact, Jones Road and THEA’s involvement was featured prominently in a report by Houston Public Media within the past week.