The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the proposed plan to remove contamination at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits superfund site in Harris County.
According to a statement, EPA’s preferred remedy proposes removing a total of about 202,000 cubic yards of contaminated material at a cost of nearly $96.9 million dollars.
Authorities with Harris County Public Health have been urging EPA officials to remove toxic waste from the San Jacinto river arguing it’s the only course of action to address threats to human health and the environment.
The plan will be open for public comment for 60 days, beginning tomorrow and ending Monday, November 28th.
Texas officials discovered the waste pits in 2005 along the river, between Channelview and the small town of Highlands.
The EPA determined that tugboats pushed barges of waste sludge from a paper mill back in the 1960s.
The agency identified several hazardous substances in the pits, including dioxins, which are carcinogens linked to numerous potential health effects, including birth defects.
EPA will also host a public meeting at the Highlands Community Center on October 20th, where members of the community will be invited to offer comment.