EPA

A map of the dioxin pits near the San Jacinto River.

From Houston Public Media: 

The Harris County Attorney is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to order the cleanup of a local Superfund site.

Tuesday, Vince Ryan formally made the request for the agency to force the companies responsible for pulling the San Jacinto River to remove the worst-contaminated soil.

If you’ve ever driven across the San Jacinto River on I-10, you’ve passed through one of the most polluted parts of the country. That’s where International Paper, along with Waste Management, dumped tons of dioxin – a byproduct of paper production.

“The pits themselves are only twelve acres.  But the area around it is several hundred acres that’s got contamination, and the dioxin itself has spread to all of Galveston Bay,” said special assistant Harris County Attorney Terrence O’Rourke. Continue Reading →