EPA reaches agreement for San Jacinto River Waste Pits cleanup plan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, has announced an agreement has been reached with International Paper Co., Memphis, Tennessee, and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp., a subsidiary of Waste Management, Houston, to perform a remedial design for the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site. The selected cleanup action addresses the potential dangers posed by dioxin contamination at the site in Harris County, Texas.

“This agreement marks the next step in my commitment to the people of Harris County to expedite the remediation of the San Jacinto Waste Pits site,” Scott Pruitt, EPA administrator, says. “EPA will ensure that the remedial design removes all the contamination as quickly and safely as possible and permanently protects the health and safety of the surrounding communities and the San Jacinto River.”

The EPA’s cleanup plan, with support from state partners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, includes installing engineering controls before excavating approximately 212,000 cubic yards of dioxin contaminated material for disposal. The estimated cost for the remedy is $115 million.

The agreement is a result of expedited negotiations between EPA and representatives from International Paper and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance for design of the cleanup. The remedial design is estimated to take about 29 months to complete. The design work will be performed by the companies under the oversight of EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The current quarterly cap inspection and maintenance program will continue while the remedial design is being completed.

EPA’s decision is based on extensive studies of the contamination and human health and environmental risks of this site. The final cleanup plan considers the ever-changing San Jacinto River, which encroaches on the site, while protecting downstream resources including the Galveston Bay estuary.

EPA added the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in 2008 after testing revealed contamination from dioxins and furans near the waste pits. The site consists of two sets of impoundments built in the mid-1960s for disposing solid and liquid pulp and paper mill wastes that are contaminated with dioxins and furans.

While the remedial design is ongoing, the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA will begin negotiations with the potential responsible parties to enter a consent decree regarding construction of the remedy.

The San Jacinto Waste Pits site is included on EPA’s Superfund Task Force list of sites targeted for priority action. These sites require timely resolution of specific issues to expedite cleanup and redevelopment efforts.