Superfund Sites

Address: NE Intersection of Cavalcade & Maury ST

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100010435.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Groundwater monitoring, operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: Beginning in 1946, Houston Creosoting Company, Inc. operated a creosote wood-treating plant on 10 acres on the southern portion of the Site. In about 1955, the company added pentachlorophenol (PCP) wood preservation services and other support facilities to their operations. In 1961, the property went into foreclosure. Facilities associated with wood-treating operations included creosote ponds, various tanks and storage units, a lumber shed, a treatment facility and other buildings. Site operations resulted in spills and releases that contaminated soil and groundwater with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soils and groundwater.

Cleanup Activities: In-place stabilization of groundwater source areas finished in 2010. Installation of a permanent monitoring well network took place between 2010 and 2011. Soil capping and containment finished in 2011. DNAPL removal took place from 2011 to 2012.

Redevelopment: The 21-acre North Cavalcade Street Superfund site is located in an industrial, commercial and residential section of Houston, Texas. The northern 10 acres of the site outside the cap are available for reuse. Private owners manage the southern half of the site. Two businesses maintained their onsite operations from the initial remedial investigation through completion of construction of the final remedy in August 2011. In 2009, a spice import business renovated and now operates in one of the buildings. The Harris County Toll Road Authority plans to extend the Hardy Toll Road along the site’s western boundary to ease traffic flow north from the downtown Houston area. The Toll Road Authority will build the extension within a previous railroad easement adjacent to the Superfund site.

Address: 1/2 Mile North of Jones RD & FM 1960 Intersection

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100020581.pdf

Status: Remediation is ongoing. Further needs will be assessed after current clean up phase is complete. EPA continues to sample indoor air, sub-slab, and groundwater wells.

Background: The source of site contamination is the former Bell Dry Cleaners facility, located within the Cypress Shopping Centre at 11600 Jones Road. The Site consists of the 2.1-acre Cypress Shopping Centre property and plumes of shallow and deep contaminated groundwater emanating from the source area. Between 1988 and 2002, Bell Dry Cleaners used tetrachloroethylene (PCE) as a dry cleaning solvent. Dry cleaning operations included the discharge of contaminated waste liquids and spent solvent from the on-site dry cleaning machine into the storm sewer behind the shopping center and into the facility’s septic system through floor drains.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil and groundwater.

Cleanup Activities: The Selected Remedy as described in the ROD is In-Situ Enhancements to Pump and Treat. The in-situ treatments involve treating the soil and groundwater without removing them. In-situ bio-remediation (ISB) for the Shallow WBZ selected in the 2010 ROD was initiated in January 2016 with the injection of amendments to support enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) to degrade the Site contaminants.  This was followed up by hot spot treatments in March 2018. In May 2018, EPA installed indoor exhaust systems in three of the suites in the Cypress Shopping Center to remove chemical contaminants that migrated into the building from the soils below. Sampling conducted after the exhaust systems were installed shows the contaminant levels in the indoor air have returned to safe levels. The Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) system began in April, 2019.  The SVE system began operations in July 2019 and is expercted to continue operations for 2 years. Remedial action for the Deep Chicot aquifer will be initiated once the effectiveness of the Selected Remedy SVE in the Shallow Source Area Soil and the Deep Unsaturated Chicot Sand and the on-going in-situ bio-remediation in the Shallow WBZ are determined and the groundwater monitoring data are evaluated.  Any future need for pump and treat to contain the migration of groundwater contaminants will be further assessed.

Redevelopment: The EPA conducted a time-critical removal action that included the installation of a water line and connections to homes and businesses at the Site. Construction completed in November 2008. 144 service connections were completed. The EPA received funding to plug and abandon the water wells of customers who were connected to the water line installed by EPA in 2008. The project was completed in 2011. At this site, activity and use limitations that EPA calls institutional controls are in place. Institutional controls play an important role in site remedies because they reduce exposure to contamination by limiting land or resource use. They also guide human behavior. For instance, zoning restrictions prevent land uses, such as residential uses, that are not consistent with the level of cleanup. Redevelopment: The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation designated restricted water well drilling area and the Harris County well installation prohibition are currently the Institutional Controls at the Site to protect exposure to the contamination in the soil and groundwater.

Address: 200 N Richey St., Pasadena, TX 77506

City: Pasadena

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100021940.pdf

Status: Site is stabilized from causing off-site contamination. The remedial investigation and feasibility study are being conducted in order to decide an appropriate remedy.

Background: The US Oil Recovery (USOR) Site is comprised of two separate properties which are located in Pasadena, Texas, north of Highway 225 (the Site) that began operations in 2002. US Oil Recovery operations at the 400 N. Richey Street property included receipt of municipal and industrial Class I and Class II wastewater, characteristically hazardous waste, used oil and oily sludges, and municipal solid waste. Its affiliate MCC Recycling (MCC) conducted associated operations at the 200 N. Richey Street property which was a former sewage treatment plant, owned by the City of Pasadena from approximately 1945 until it was acquired by USOR in January 2009. Wastes onsite generally consist of oily liquids and sludges containing concentrations of volatile organics, metals, and/or mercury. These onsite wastes are contained in various containers, including aboveground tanks, roll-off bins, frac tanks, drums, and totes. Arsenic, barium, cobalt, manganese, mercury, silver, and/or vanadium have been detected in some surface water and/or sediment samples collected within Vince Bayou near the Site.

Risks: A health consultation issued by DSHS and ATSDR in May 2020 for the Site have the following conclusions (1) conclude that past, present, and future exposures (from incidental ingestion and skin contact) to arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in off-site surface soil and sediment are not expected to harm people's health; (2) cannot conclude whether eating fish caught from Vince and Little Vince Bayous could harm people's health; and (3) cannot conclude whether breathing ambient (outside) air in the past at the nearby residential area could harm people's health.

Cleanup Activities: The completed activities include: removal and disposal of solid and liquid waste from two frac tanks and more than 230 roll-off containers; removal/disposal and safe demolition of the bioreactor, a large, contaminated aboveground concrete structure on the property; removal/disposal of more than 1,150 containers from within the USOR warehouse; characterization and removal of liquids and solids from over 30 aboveground storage tanks; inventory and characterization of residual liquids and solids in former processing equipment; and  final removal of remaining residual  wastes from the aboveground storage tanks and former process equipment. Other additional activities included site security and video monitoring, regular site inspections and pump down/removal of liquids as necessary to prevent releases from containment areas and other structures. The Removal Action AOC was amended in August 2018 to include a Hurricane Preparedness effort at the property. Removal activities under the Hurricane Preparedness effort included removal of liquids and solids from four low lying wastewater units to prevent potential impact due to a hurricane, emptying and pressure washing the four subsurface containment units, filling and sealing one of the units with concrete and allowing the other three to fill with stormwater.  Post removal storm water sampling from the units in 2018 and 2019 showed accumulated storm water would not impact the environment. EPA initiated preparations for Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the 200 N. Richey street property, known as Operable Unit 2 (OU-2), in August 2020. The RI/FS for both properties is scheduled for completion in December 2022.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment activity.

Address: 2501 Dixie Farm Rd, Houston, TX 77089

City: Friendswood

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100012114.pdf

Status: Remedy is complete. Human exposure and groundwater migration are under control and site is ready for anticipated use, limited by institutional controls under the EPA. Five-Year Reviews are ongoing.

Background: The Site was formerly used for reclamation of petrochemicals from various source materials, most of which were residues, tank bottoms, and tars from other off-site locations, with Brio North being historically used for storage purposes and Brio South being primarily used for processing activities. Spanning the period of 1957 to 1982, processing operations included regeneration of copper catalysts; recovery of ethylbenzene from styrene tars, chemicals from vinyl chloride bottoms, phenol heavy ends, chlorinated hydrocarbons, cresylic acid and ethylene glycol; and the production of ethylbenzene, toluene, aromatic solvents, styrene pitch, cresylic acid, sodium sulfide, sodium cresyllite, fuel oil, cumene, diesel fuel, residual oil, naphtha, kerosene and jet fuel. Most of the feedstock materials for processing at Brio were stored in on-site pits, many of which were located on Brio North. Disposal areas were located on both the Brio North and Brio South Sites. All of the pits were closed during Site operations, which ceased in December 1982. The EPA placed the Site on the National Priorities List (NPL) on March 31, 1989.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup. Currently, there is no exposure from the contaminated soil at the Site because it is capped under concrete. Also, currently there is no exposure to contaminated ground water from the Site, onsite or offsite, since this water is not the source of water dispensed at the taps used for drinking, showering, washing or any other usage.

Cleanup Activities: Soil Construction of a concrete cap was finished in 2000. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Groundwater: Contaminated ground water was extracted and treaded via manual pumping from collection wells from 1996 to 2006. In September 2014 this method was deemed impractical and the remaining contaminated groundwater zones are currently monitored for migration.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment activity.

Address: Old US Highway 90 On The E Bank Of The San Jacinto River

City: Crosby

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/500023581.pdf

Status: Remedy is complete and protective of human health and the environment in the short term. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted along with periodic well monitoring by the TCEQ.

Background: From approximately 1961 until 1967, the Site was operated as an illegal open dump. As a result, a wide variety of wastes, including drums and bulk wastes, were disposed of on-site. The wastes were primarily chemical wastes, such as benzene, phenols, olefinic compounds, and other organic solvents, that most likely originated from petrochemical companies operating in the surrounding area. Approximately 2,000, 55-gallon drums of waste and an indeterminable number of bulk loads were discovered to have been disposed at the Site. The drums were dumped along the sides of roads and bulldozed into pits and low mounds, while the bulk loads were dumped and/or pumped into pits and low-lying areas. Hydrocarbon odors from the Site became such a nuisance that local residents at the time complained to both President Lyndon Johnson and Congress. Much of the wastes were deposited into what was known as the main waste pit, which was surrounded by a dike. This dike was breached by flooding, which resulted in the transporting of wastes across a large low-lying area east of the main waste pit known as the overflow area.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup. The greatest health risk to people was through exposure to residual waste at the site. The greatest health risk to people is through drinking contaminated groundwater. In the short term, exposure pathways that could result in unacceptable risks are being controlled.

Cleanup Activities: A June 1983 removal action resulted in the removal of approximately 440 cubic yards of buried phenolic tars.  A Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued on September 18, 1986, to address the threats posed by the site.  The remedy selected in the ROD included excavation of contaminated soil and sludge, onsite incineration of excavated soil and sludge, onsite disposal of residue ash from incineration, backfilling of pits and excavated areas, treatment of contaminated surface water, institutional controls to prevent used of contaminated groundwater, and monitoring of the upper and lower aquifers.  The site’s long-term remedy included excavation of contaminated soil and sludge, on-site incineration of excavated soil and sludge, on-site disposal of residue ash from incineration, backfilling of pits and excavated areas, treatment of contaminated surface water, institutional controls to prevent used of contaminated groundwater, and monitoring of the upper and lower aquifers. Construction of the remedy finished in 1995. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing.

Redevelopment: Both Jackson Bayou and the San Jacinto River have designated beneficial uses for contact recreation and high aquatic life. An off-roading park (Down South Offroad Park) is located within the Site on the north end. The only features remaining that are related to the remedy include groundwater monitoring wells and access roads. Individual security fencing with a locked gate secures each monitoring well. Since completion of the remedy, vegetation has become reestablished and the majority of the Site is vacant, except for the Love Marina at the western side of the Site.

Address: SE Of Intersection Of Cavalcade & Maury St 1 MI SE Of Loop 610 N & US Highway 59 Houston

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100003006.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Groundwater is being monitored to ensure plume is stable and not migrating. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: Site owners operated a creosote wood-treating plant on the southwestern part of the Site from 1910 to 1962 and a coal tar distillation plant on the southeastern portion of the Site from 1944 to 1962. Site operations resulted in spills and releases that contaminated surface soil and subsurface soil with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and groundwater with metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and PAHs.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup. Currently, there is no exposure from the contaminated soil at the Site because it is capped under concrete. Also, currently, there is no exposure to contaminated ground water from the Site, onsite or offsite, since this water is not the source of water dispensed at the taps used for drinking, showering, washing or any other usage.

Cleanup Activities: Soil Construction of a concrete cap was finished in 2000. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Groundwater: Contaminated ground water was extracted and treaded via manual pumping from collection wells from 1996 to 2006. In September 2014 this method was deemed impractical and the remaining contaminated groundwater zones are currently monitored for migration.

Redevelopment: Pavement, buildings or storage areas cover a large portion of the site, particularly in the southern half of the site. Multiple businesses are using the site for industrial uses, including distribution, truck and heavy equipment staging, and pallet supply.  A commercial business entity purchased the northern half of the site in March 2014.  The Harris County Toll Road Authority plans to expand the street adjacent to the south side of the site and extend the toll road adjacent to the west side of the site.

Address: 2505 Choate Rd Friendswood, TX 77546

City: Friendswood

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100011767.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: The Site was used for processing activities spanning the period of 1969 to 1986 consisting of reclamation of metals and hydrocarbons from various source materials, most of which were catalysts, residues, tank bottoms, and tars of other processes performed at off-site locations. Site pits were closed in 1975 and 1977. The EPA placed the Site on the NPL on October 4, 1989.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting, inhaling or coming in direct contact with contaminated soil, or through ingestion of contaminated groundwater.

Cleanup Activities: The Site's long-term remedy included removal of surface contamination, improvement of surface water controls, reconstruction of Mud Gully and installation of a security fence, as documented in a ROD issued March 1988. Cleanup actions also included removal and off-site disposal of tank wastes, breakdown of process tanks and drums, disposal of process equipment, and institutional controls. Remedy construction took place between 1992 and 1993. Site inspections and groundwater monitoring activities are ongoing.

The major components of the remedy include:
• Removal of affected materials and soils;
• Capping the Site with an engineered cover system consisting of compacted clay;
• Improvement to Mud Gully to ensure flow capabilities within the drainage system.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment activity.

Address: Clear Lake Dr, Approximately 1.4 MI W Of Highlands

City: Highlands

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100009924.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Semi-annual groundwater monitoring is ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: Early in the 1950s, the Site is assumed to have received an unknown quantity of industrial waste sludge, believed to be spent sulfuric acid from oil and gas refining processes. The sludge may have been transported to the Site by barge. Waste sludges were then placed in an excavated sand pit (or pits) at the Site. After disposal, the sludge was reportedly covered with sand. The waste disposal activities contaminated soil and the shallow groundwater aquifer with hazardous chemicals. The Site is located on a peninsula within the San Jacinto River's IO-year floodplain. The current average elevation of the Site is 5 to 10 feet above mean sea level. There is historical subsidence at the Site. Nearly 5 feet of subsidence was recorded at the Site between 1890 and 1973. Since 1964, the Site has subsided at least 2.4 feet. The Site is vacant. Only monitoring wells and fencing are currently located on site. Future development is not foreseen due to its location within the 10-year floodplain. The Site is bordered by two adjacent active oil/gas production wells and a petroleum distribution center, the Baytown Boat Club to the north, flooded fo1mer sand pits to the east, Clear Lake to the south, and the Grennel Slough to the west. Based on Texas Water Development Board data, there are no groundwater wells within a mile of the Site. Nearly 1,500 people live within 1 mile of the Site. The nearest permanent residence is approximately 1,000 feet.  A recreational vehicle park is located 275 feet north of the Site entrance gate.  Groundwater is present in three zones at the Site - the upper, middle and deep aquifers. Groundwater in the upper aquifer flows radially from the Site and discharges to Grennel Slough, Clear Lake and the adjacent former sand pits. The predominant groundwater flow direction for the upper aquifer in December 2015 was to the east. Appendix C contains additional background information about the Site, including geology and hydrogeology.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil and groundwater.

Cleanup Activities: The site’s long-term remedy for source control, selected in 1984, included excavation of waste and contaminated soil with off-site disposal. The remedy also included backfilling the excavation, revegetation and installation of a fence. Cleanup removed 22,200 cubic yards of waste and soil from the site. Cleanup finished in December 1987. Institutional controls, including a deed notice, were implemented. The long-term remedy for groundwater, selected in 1987,  included installation of groundwater monitoring wells and a 30-year monitoring program for groundwater and surface water. Monitoring is ongoing.

Redevelopment: Institutional controls are in place and no economic activity is on site.

Address: 3617 Baer Street Houston, TX 77020

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100010115.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Site was partially removed from the National Priorities List in 2010. Groundwater monitoring and operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: The Site was originally the Houston Brick Works brickyard. Blue clay found along the former Ingraham Gully, which crossed the center of the Site, was excavated and used for the manufacturing of bricks. Casting was performed in a facility located east of Bringhurst Street, north of Gillespie Street, and south of Baer Street. At that time, the eastern portion of the facility contained several residences. In 1926, the Texas Electric Steel Casting Company (TESCO) began operations as a metal casting foundry. The TESCO foundry initially occupied the former Houston Brick Works facility. The foundry expanded operations north of Baer Street and south of Gillespie Street during World War II. A second foundry facility was built on the eastern portion of the site during the latter half of 1970. Various grades of steel, including high carbon, chrome molybdenum, high nickel, and stainless steel were cast at the TESCO facility. During the mid-1980s, the southern portion of the Site was leased to Can-Am Resource Group (Can-Am). Can-Am conducted a spent catalyst recycling operation using an experimental process. Very little is known about operations at the Site during this time. Can-Am reportedly obtained between 2,000 and 4,000 drums of spent catalyst from chemical plants and refineries along the Houston Ship Channel. By 1988, Can-Am ceased operations and the drums of spent catalyst were abandoned on-site. In 1990, MDI bought the TESCO note from Texas Commerce Bank. TESCO ceased operations in February 1991, and MDI foreclosed on the property. MDI reopened as the San Jacinto Foundry (SJF) on March 1, 1991. SJF continued operations until about June 1, 1992. MDI filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston District on May 20, 1992. The EPA believed that the air emissions from the former foundry, which contained particles of lead, may have caused on-site and offsite soils to become contaminated through the air deposition of these particles. Foundry practices may have also contributed to onsite lead contamination of the soils. Other probable sources of lead contamination that may have impacted the on and offsite soils may include lead-based paint and historical deposition from vehicular lead-based fuel emissions, among other possible sources.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soils and groundwater.

Cleanup Activities: The site’s long-term remedy included excavation and disposal of contaminated debris and soils, and implementation of institutional controls to prevent exposure to contaminated soil and groundwater. The remedial action for the soils involved removing lead-contaminated soils from 155 residential yards and finished in 2008. EPA is monitoring groundwater.

Redevelopment: The site owner, Lovett Homes, had their contractor, Ska Consulting, complete a groundwater Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) field sampling event in March of 2020 as part of an agreement with EPA. Every thirty months each party alternates groundwater MNA field sampling events.

Current MNA Report: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100021684.pdf

Address: 1415, 1417, & 1419 S Loop 610 W

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100021915.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Groundwater monitoring and operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: The 0.75-acre Sol Lynn/Industrial Transformers site is located in Houston, Texas. An electrical transformer salvage and recycling company operated on site from 1965 to 1975. A chemical recycling and supply company operated at the site from 1979 to 1980. Site activities contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities and monitoring are ongoing.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil and groundwater. The greatest health risk to people is through drinking contaminated groundwater. In the short term, exposure pathways that could result in unacceptable risks are being controlled.

Cleanup Activities: The site’s long-term remedy included excavation and treatment of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soil, and extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater. EPA later updated the remedy, changing the soil treatment technology and changing the groundwater remedy to monitored natural attenuation and institutional controls to control residential land use. Construction of the remedy finished in 1993. Operation and maintenance activities and monitoring are ongoing.

Redevelopment: The Site currently consists of a vacant lot and a commercial complex that hosts several businesses. Parts of the complex are unoccupied. The Site is located in a mixed-use area that includes residential, commercial and light industrial areas. A light industrial and commercial business area is located directly east and southwest of the Site. South Loop Road and Interstate 610 are located directly north of the Site. The Reliant Park complex (Astrodome and Reliant Arena) are located about 4,000 feet to the northwest. The Site is located just southeast of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) area.

Address: 9334 Canniff Rd, Houston, TX 77017

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100011345.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented. Groundwater monitoring and operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Site and groundwater currently not in use. Five-year reviews are being conducted.

Background: The 13.5-acre Site is in the city of Houston in Harris County, Texas. Before 1967, petroleum exploration and production occurred on site. From June 1967 to September 1978, several different owners manufactured petrochemicals at the site. Facility operations contaminated site soils and groundwater. The principal sources of contamination were waste lagoons and ponds, buried drums, landfarming, surface storage of material in drums and piles, and operational leaks and spills. Current site features include monitoring wells, recovery wells, fencing, a paved area for parking, the groundwater treatment system building, and six storage tanks for treated groundwater. The Site is in a primarily commercial, industrial and residential area.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup. Currently, there is no exposure from the contaminated soil at the Site because it is capped under concrete. Also, there is no exposure to contaminated ground water from the Site, onsite or offsite.

Cleanup Activities: The Site's remedy consisted of excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soils and most drums, capping of residually contaminated soils and remaining drums with a perimeter slurry wall, recovery and treatment of trichloroethylene-contaminated groundwater, and implementation of institutional controls. Institutional controls are in place for the Site in the form of 28 deed notices that restrict digging on the capped area, restrict activities that could cause erosion or disrupt the integrity of the cap or landfill, restrict groundwater use in the 30-foot sand and 100-foot sand groundwater units, restrict installation of water wells within the cap or landfill, and prohibit residential uses. The Site is currently not in use. There are currently no human or ecological exposure pathways in the short term at the Site. Site groundwater is not used for any purpose. The Site achieved construction completion on September 14, 1993. EPA deleted Operable Unit 1 (soil) from the National Priorities List on April 8, 1997.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment activity.

Address: Approximately 1 MI N Of Deer Park; Originating S OF Highway 225 Draining 2.85 MI N To The Houston Ship Channel Along Southern Gulf Coast Of TX

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100002455.pdf

Status: The remedial investigation and feasibility studies have been conducted. Additional studies may follow with a remedy selection estimated for 2023.

Background: Fork tributary, and associated wetlands. Patrick Bayou is one of several small bayous of the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) located within the lower portion of the San Jacinto River Basin as it enters Galveston Bay. Pesticides, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in sediments in the Bayou since the early to mid-1990s. For several years, Patrick Bayou has received an accumulation of permitted industrial wastewater discharges, municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent, and storm water runoff from adjacent industrial facilities and nearby urban/residential areas. These discharges are suspected to be the primary sources of the sediment contamination. The site was placed on the NPL because sediment contamination has been detected in the wetlands bordering the Bayou and poses a threat to downstream fisheries.

The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) (now TCEQ) collected samples as part of a Site Inspection in July 2000. Sediment samples collected from the Bayou showed mercury levels as high as a 41,500 ug/kg, and PCB levels as high as 300,000 ug/kg.

The upper portion of the Bayou and several small islands within the Bayou contain extensive wetland vegetation affording a natural habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds. Significant populations of fish and marine mammals have been documented near the mouth of Patrick Bayou. Local fishermen fish for blue crab and catfish along the HSC even though human consumption has been restricted by the Texas Department of Health (no-consumption advisory for children and women of childbearing age) due to high levels of dioxin. A fish kill was reported on March 21, 1990, in the East Fork tributary of Patrick Bayou, and a second fish kill was reported on September 10, 1990, in the Bayou.

Risks: There are currently no unacceptable human exposure pathways and EPA has determined the site is under control for human exposure. The migration of contaminated groundwater is stabilized and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA will conduct monitoring to confirm that affected groundwater remains in the original area of contamination. Actions are still needed to address contamination.

Cleanup Activities: EPA and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have completed negotiations and entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for the site’s remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS). The RI/FS determines the nature and extent of contamination and gathers sufficient information to support an informed risk management decision regarding the most appropriate remedy for the site. Remedy Selection estimated July-September 2023.

Redevelopment: None

Address: 2 MI SW Of Crosby And 1 MI E Of San Jacinto

City: Crosby

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/100003584.pdf

Status: Preliminary 30% remedial designs have been submitted and final construction design submittals expected in 2021.

Background: The site was a sand quarry in the 1950s and 1960s, which resulted in the formation of an 11-acre sand pit. The company that owned the site was permitted by the Texas Water Commission to accept industrial waste material from 1966 until 1971. During that period, it received an estimated 90 million gallons of chemical waste, transforming the sand pit into a waste lagoon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1982 and designated it for remedial action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Risks: The most recent review concluded that response actions at the site are in accordance with the remedy selected by EPA and that the remedy continues to be protective of human health and the environment in the short term.

Cleanup Activities: The EPA conducted a removal at the site in June 1983. This removal action resulted in the removal of approximately 440 cubic yards of buried phenolic tars.  A Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued on September 18, 1986, to address the threats posed by the site.  The remedy selected in the ROD included excavation of contaminated soil and sludge, onsite incineration of excavated soil and sludge, onsite disposal of residue ash from incineration, backfilling of pits and excavated areas, treatment of contaminated surface water, institutional controls to prevent used of contaminated groundwater, and monitoring of the upper and lower aquifers.  The site’s long-term remedy included excavation of contaminated soil and sludge, on-site incineration of excavated soil and sludge, on-site disposal of residue ash from incineration, backfilling of pits and excavated areas, treatment of contaminated surface water, institutional controls to prevent used of contaminated groundwater, and monitoring of the upper and lower aquifers. Construction of the remedy finished in 1995. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing.

Redevelopment: Both Jackson Bayou and the San Jacinto River have designated beneficial uses for contact recreation and high aquatic life.  In the past, the eastern portion of the Site was used by a honey farm to raise bees and harvest honey. The Riverdale Subdivision is located approximately 500 feet southwest of the Site.  An off-roading park (Down South Offroad Park) is located within the Site on the north end. The only features remaining that are related to the remedy include groundwater monitoring wells and access roads.  Individual security fencing with a locked gate secures each monitoring well.  Since completion of the remedy, vegetation has become reestablished and the majority of the Site is vacant, except for the Love Marina at the western side of the Site.

Address: 3502 Rogerdale Road, Houston, TX

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://semspub.epa.gov/work/06/9641494.pdf

Status: Remedy has been implemented.  Groundwater monitoring and operation and maintenance activities are ongoing.

Background: Between 1968 and 1979, Crystal Chemical leased the site property from the owner, Southern Pacific Transportation Company (Southern Pacific), now Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR). In 1979, Crystal Chemical purchased the property and began manufacturing arsenic-containing herbicides on site. Operation and maintenance problems at the Crystal Chemical facility during the late 1970s resulted in several violations of state environmental standards. As a result of facility operations, soil and ground water on the site and adjacent properties were impacted by arsenic. The property leased by Crystal Chemical was added to the National Priority List (NPL) in 1983. On September 27, 1990, USEPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that required remediation of affected soils and ground water.

Risks: EPA determined that the remedy for groundwater is protective in the short term. Groundwater in the area is not being used for drinking water purposes. The City of Houston provides drinking water for the area. The remedy for affected soils at the Site is protective of human health and the environment.

Cleanup Activities: On June 16, 1992, the soil remedy ROD was amended to include excavating and consolidating soils that had arsenic concentrations greater than 30 parts per million (PPM), and covering the affected soils with an engineered barrier (cap) to control downward migration of rainfall and run-off through the affected soils. The entire system (affected soils and cap) is referred to as the monofill cap; which was completed in September 1995. Currently, activities related to the soil remedy include routine inspections and maintenance of the monofill cap. On March 19, 1997, the ground water ROD remedy was amended to allow removal and/or containment of contaminated ground water. This was accomplished by pumping ground water from a recovery well located south of the monofill cap. A ground water containment system was installed in the remaining affected zones. The system was completed in 2003 and consists of a slurry wall, a natural subsurface levee, and a pressure relief system.  Based on the effective results of a phytohydraulic pilot test in 2008, the PRS was shut down in 2009. The Site’s Groundwater Monitoring Plan (GWMP) was revised in December 2003. The current objectives of the GWMP are to monitor the groundwater within the slurry wall containment for the continued documentation of the slurry walls effectiveness, and to monitor the contaminated groundwater plume outside of the wall to document no-migration. In 2017, new monitoring wells were installed; EPA is currently holding other discussions with the PRP to further define the stability of the groundwater plume. Currently, activities related to the ground water remedy include routine inspections and maintenance of the containment system and continued monitoring activities. Groundwater monitoring and cap inspections are ongoing.

Redevelopment: An MSD certification issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and supported by the City of Houston prohibits the use of the affected groundwater at the Site, thus eliminating the groundwater ingestion exposure pathway. This in-turn will promote the redevelopment of the property. In addition, deed restriction of the affected groundwater plume to prevent future groundwater use within the MSD area was filed on March 7, 2006. Other deed restrictions are planned to prevent excavations. The 12.5-acre Site property located north of Westpark Drive was purchased from the Levy estate by the PRP in April 2000 and is currently undeveloped and bordered by light industrial property. With EPA approval, the PRP has moved monitoring wells located within the central portion of the property to the boundary to promote redevelopment by prospective purchasers.

Address: 1000'S Of Genoa Red Bluff Rd, Houston, TX 77034

City: Houston

Status: Remedy has been implemented. The site was removed from the National Priorities List in April 1988. Groundwater monitoring was not required, and no operational or institutional controls were considered necessary to ensure the future integrity of the cleanup.

Background: A transporter leased the site in 1958 and disposed of over 550 tons of liquids and sludges from local chemical industries in two trenches, each 120 by 40 feet. Following complaints, a thin layer of soil was placed over the disposal area in 1959. Subsequent owners discovered the wastes in 1961 during the construction of a swimming pool. Wastes also appeared during other construction activities.

Risks: Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil.

Cleanup Activities: The site’s long-term remedy, selected in September 1985, included excavation of contaminated soil with off-site disposal. The remedial action finished in July 1986. Because the action completely removed the contamination source, groundwater monitoring was not required, and no operational or institutional controls were considered necessary to ensure the future integrity of the cleanup.

Redevelopment: The site is currently vacant commercial land.

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Address: 3603 Jensen Drive, Houston, TX

City: Houston

Status: The TCEQ conducted the remedial action from December 2000 to November 2001. The site is in the operation and maintenance phase for the containment cell and cap.

Background: The site is an inactive scrap salvage facility and occupies 3.8 acres within a small industrial area that is bordered by a residential area. For a period of time, during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, the operation reclaimed copper and iron from electrical transformers.

Risks: Risks have been addressed by clean up activities.

Cleanup Activities:  In October 2000, the TCEQ issued a Supplemental Administrative Order which amended the remedial action to require excavation and consolidation of contaminated soils in a specially-designed closed containment cell and cap. The TCEQ conducted the remedial action from December 2000 to November 2001.

In 2009, the District Court of Travis County approved a final judgment between TCEQ and some responsible parties, whereby the responsible parties would assume and continue the remaining activities for the operation and maintenance phase of the site.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment.

Address: 13103 Conklin Ln, Houston, TX 77034

City: Houston

Status: Remediation is complete and no additional environmental response was needed. The site was removed from the state Superfund registry in July 2013.

Background: A wide range of organic chemicals and catalysts were used in manufacturing and processing operations from 1961 until the site was abandoned in 1991. When it was abandoned, spill and surface contamination were widespread throughout. There was evidence of contamination in the surface impoundments and drainage ditches. Approximately two-thousand 55-gallon drums of waste in various stages of deterioration were on-site. Structures left at the site after it was abandoned included an office and warehouse buildings, concrete foundations in the former process areas, a sludge drying bed, two land farm areas, and containment areas associated with former aboveground tanks. There were two surface impoundments associated with wastewater from the former operations in the north-eastern portion of the facility.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: Some of the potentially responsible parties (PRPs), the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the TCEQ conducted separate waste removal actions from the site between 1992 and 1995 to address the containerized waste and surface water contamination. On July 15, 2009, the TCEQ issued an administrative order (AO) which selected excavation and off-site disposal of the contaminated soils and sediments from the impoundments as the remedial action for the site. We ordered the named responsible parties to perform the remedial action, but they were unwilling or unable to begin the selected remedial action within the timeframe specified in the AO. Therefore the TCEQ performed the remedy beginning in August 2009. The remedy was considered complete in July 2011 when the final closure report was approved.

The TCEQ deleted the site from the state Superfund registry in July 2013.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment.

Address: 300 Holmes Road, Houston, TX 77045

City: Houston

Status: Remediation was completed under the TCEQ Voluntary Cleanup Program and no additional environmental response was needed. The site was removed from the state Superfund registry in 1998.

Background: The company performed secondary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals, manufactured soft pig and ingot lead, and recovered lead from lead-acid batteries.  Soils at the site were impacted by lead, cadmium and arsenic.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: The TCEQ proposed the site to the state Superfund registry in 1987. Potentially Responsible Parties submitted an application to investigate and cleanup the site under the TCEQ Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) Program.  The site was accepted into the TCEQ VCP in 1996 and deleted from the registry in 1998. No further Superfund environmental response actions are required.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment.

Address: NE Of The Intersection Almeda-Genoa Rd & Mykawa Rd

City: Houston

Status: The site was accepted into the TCEQ Voluntary Cleanup Program and deleted from the state Superfund registry in 2002. No additional environmental response was required under the state Superfund program.

Background: From the 1950s to the mid-1960s, the site was used as an open dump. During this time, hazardous materials were disposed of in the sand pits. The waste consisted primarily of oily sludges and other miscellaneous wastes. From 1965 through 1967, the site was operated as a commercial landfill for the disposal of metal slag and other foundry debris, including furnace sand and refractory brick. Much of this waste was apparently placed into the sand and gravel pits in an attempt to stabilize the petrochemical waste. The site's most prominent feature is an unlined impoundment of unknown depth measuring approximately 400 feet by 190 feet. Gulf Metal Industries (GMI) purchased the site for Class II and Class III commercial waste disposal. In 1973, the Texas Water Quality Board directed the company to not accept Class II wastes because of poor management practices at the landfill and instructed GMI to fill in the oily sludge pits. Through the late 1970s, GMI filled the site to grade with steel mill wastes and other miscellaneous construction debris. Use of the site as a disposal facility stopped in 1981.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: No further Superfund environmental response actions are required on this former landfill that received hazardous substances in Houston, Harris County. This site was referred to the Voluntary Cleanup Program.

Redevelopment:  No current redevelopment.

Address: 1403 Ennis St, Houston, TX

City: Houston

Status: Remediation was completed in 1997 and deleted from the state Superfund registry in 1998. No further environmental response was needed.

Background: The 1.19 acres were used for recycling waste oil and industrial and hazardous waste chemicals. The site contained at least five underground tanks. The first recorded complaint was received in 1980 concerning unattended oil spills by the occupant, Southwest Oil Service, Inc. La Pata Oil Company took over the lease and operations, but was subsequently evicted March 1, 1982, and abandoned the site. Waste samples showed hazardous characteristics of ignitability. On May 28, 1982, the Texas Water Commission referred La Pata Oil Company for enforcement action for violations regarding contamination of soils. Less than five months later, on October 2, 1983, a fire, which the Houston Fire Department determined had been set by an arsonist, destroyed two aboveground storage tanks and released the contents onto the ground.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: Removal action completed in April 30, 1997.

Redevelopment: Removal action completed in April 30, 1997.

Address: Behind FED Metals Plant At 9200 Market St, Houston, TX 77029

City: Houston

EPA Updates: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/downloads/remediation/superfund/federated-metals/federated-metals-remedy-selection-document.pdf

Status: Site is still being evaluated under the State Superfund program. Contaminated soil has been removed. Groundwater remedy was selected in 2014.

Background: The Landfill was utilized as a disposal facility from the 1940s to 1979 for magnesium dross and sludge; refractory brick from recovery activities of nonferrous metal alloys; breakout material from electrolytic chlorine cells such as graphite anodes, asbestos material, and contaminated concrete; gasket rubber rings; and other waste materials.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: Removal of metals, lead, benzene, and radiologically impacted soils, solids, and surface water in the Production Area was conducted in February and March 2012. Additional field work and confirmation sampling for the radiologically impacted soils, solids, and surface water was conducted in February and March 2014. The TCEQ has reviewed the analytical data obtained from this sampling event and concurs that all regulatory requirements have been met. The report documenting removal of radionuclides of concern (ROCs) in the Production Area is currently pending approval. The Production Area removal is complete and the TCEQ approved the Solids, Soils, and Stormwater Removal Report.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment.

Address: 2010 Hartwick, Houston, TX

City: Houston

Status: Remediation was completed in 1997 and removed from the state Superfund registry that same year. No further environmental response was needed. The site is usable for residential development.

Background: A waste oil collection and transfer facility operated at this site from approximately 1974 to 1985. In addition, paint thinner, transformer oil, lubricating oil, diesel fuel, compressor oil, crude slop, mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone, trichloroethylene, xylene, naphtha, spent acid solution, antifreeze, hydraulic oil, solvents with organic residues, and miscellaneous other chemicals were handled at the site. The site consisted of four large, upright tanks and one smaller tank in a diked area, two additional horizontal tanks, and more than sixty 55-gallon containers. The diked area and the drums contained contaminated liquid and sludge. Historically, the site accommodated a variety of tanks, tankers, and drums.

Risks: The site is usable for residential development.

Cleanup Activities: March 10, 1997, a supplemental removal action of 80 cubic yards of soil was conducted in an attempt to remove the surface soils down to background levels.

Redevelopment: No further remedial action planned. The site is usable for residential development.

Address: 3799 Jensen Dr Houston, TX 77026

City: Houston

Status: Remediation was completed in 1999. The site was removed from the state Superfund registry in 2000. The site is in the operation and maintenance phase, which requires groundwater monitoring.

Background: The approximately 20-acre site was previously a rendering facility until approximately 1976, when aluminum and lead-acid batteries recycling began along with various other scrap metal recovery activities. The businesses’ operations resulted in soil contamination from lead and other metals, as well as sulfuric acid.

Risks:

Cleanup Activities: As part of the response action, TCEQ removed 7,500 cubic yards of scrap metal, used battery casings, used 55-gallon drums, household garbage, and 1,000 discarded truck and car tires.

Redevelopment: No current redevelopment.

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