Why Don’t We Know More About The Impact Of Flooding On Superfund Sites?

The storms in early May dumped nearly two feet of water on some areas north of Houston and, as we know from experience, the San Jacinto and other local rivers are increasingly susceptible to flooding. The immediate focus was on the impacted homes and businesses, but the floods also put at least four local Superfund sites underwater.  

The San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site was the area of primary concern for THEA’s coalitions. The EPA said the buoy line was ripped away, never to be seen again! Officials said bathymetric and topographic surveys were completed. A month after the flooding, they reported that the surveys “identified no significant variation that would indicate changes to the cap” on the Northern Containment Pit. However, a physical check of the cap had not been performed yet.

According to the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was responsible for surveying the Highlands Acid Pit and the Sikes Disposal Pits once the flood waters fully receded. At the French Limited Superfund Site, the responsible parties, a consortium of 90 companies, were expected to send their contractors out for inspection once the site was fully accessible.

However, if any of these surveys have produced results, the EPA has not made those results public. 

Why? It is a question that needs to be asked. There has been a lot of focus on the impact of climate change on toxic waste sites. The EPA now has a mandate to consider increased flooding from rain events and higher sea levels when it addresses Superfund sites. At least three local sites have been identified as being at risk.  

So why is there no mechanism in place to quickly and effectively investigate flooding at sites that are known to be at risk? The quick answer is that climate change wasn’t considered when the Superfund laws were written more than 40 years ago. 

But that should not be an excuse. Today, environmental agencies have mandates to engage and inform the public, especially when environmental justice may be involved. As America adapts to the impacts of climate change, inspecting sites and reporting the results in a timely manner need to be recognized as a part of the public’s right to know.