Toxic sewage is used to put out a fire after a Train derailment in Ohio It was taken to a Houston suburb for disposal, according to a Texas county official who said there were outstanding questions about the material’s transportation and disposal.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a news conference Thursday that 500,000 gallons of sewage has been delivered to Deer Park, Texas, which expects another 1.5 million gallons.
“I know our community was just as surprised by the news as I was,” Hidalgo said. “I also want people to know that there are many things we don’t know that we should know. It doesn’t mean something is wrong. And I want to stress the point.”
Hidalgo said the county learned on Wednesday of a sewage spill from the site of the fiery coup Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, that prompted evacuations when toxic chemicals were incinerated after escaping from five derailed railroad cars. vinyl chloride that was in danger of exploding.
The sewage was turned over to the Texas Molecular Company, which injects hazardous waste into the grounds for disposal. company told CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV She has experience managing this type of disposal.
“Our technology safely removes hazardous components from the biosphere. We are part of the solution to reduce risk and protect the environment, both in our local area and in other places that need the capabilities we offer to protect the environment,” the company said.
Hidalgo said Texas Molecular has notified county officials that it has received half a million gallons of firefighting water with an additional 1.5 million gallons expected to be transported to the site by about 30 trucks per day.
“It’s a very real problem. We were told yesterday the material was coming only to learn today that it’s been here for a week,” said Hidalgo, who wants more information about the precautions being taken at the injection well.
KHOU Hidalgo asked If her office is usually notified when hazardous waste comes and goes from the county.
She replied, “There is no law. There is no law that says our office has to be aware when there are dangerous materials.” “Now, is it okay to have an international disaster in Ohio, an explosion of this magnitude, and for us to suddenly learn that this same material has been coming into our community for a week, and we’re driving it through our community? I don’t think so.
“We were selected based on our capabilities, experience and unique ability to handle a project of this magnitude,” Texas Molecular told KHOU in a statement.
As Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. said: He is confident that the disposal is being handled appropriately. He said the company has EPA clearance and has been doing this kind of work for 40 years.
The delivery also raises questions about transportation routes, which she said could include trains, and the potential health impact on workers involved in transportation and communities between the Ohio crash site and the disposal area in Deer Park, one of 34 communities in Harris County.
Hidalgo said doubts remain even after discussions between the county and officials from the Federal Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and other industry and environmental experts.
“Government officials have readily provided the information they have, but what we are learning is that they do not seem to have the full information,” she said. I’m not clear on who has the full picture of what’s going on here and that’s a problem.
She noted that Harris County has about 10 injection wells that are capable of receiving hazardous commercial waste, making the area one of the few places where the material can be disposed of. But she said there are similar facilities in Vickery, Ohio, and Romulus, Michigan, that can also treat sewage and are located near the crash site.
“There could be logistical reasons for all of this. There could be economic reasons. Perhaps Texas Molecular would bid on the Michigan facility,” Hidalgo said. “It doesn’t mean that something outrageous is going on, but we need to know the answer to that question.”
Hidalgo added that she first learned that Harris County was the site of a journalist’s disposal “not from a regulatory agency, not from the company,” which she said was “unacceptable.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said KTRK-TV that Texas Molecular is “authorized to accept and manage a variety of waste streams, including vinyl chloride, as part of its … Hazardous Waste Permit and Underground Injection Control Permit.”
Dr. George Guillen, executive director of the Environmental Institute in Houston, said the chemical was “extremely toxic” but the risk to the public was minimal.
“This injection, in some cases, is typically 4,000 or 5,000 feet below any type of drinking water aquifer,” said Gillen, a professor of biology and environmental sciences at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Deer Park residents Guillen and Tammy Baxter said their biggest concern is the transportation of chemicals more than 1,300 miles from eastern Palestine to Deer Park.
“There should be a deep well injection closer,” Baxter told KTRK. “It’s foolish to put it on the road. We have accidents on a regular basis… It’s foolish to move it that far.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who Visited the derailment site Thursday, him Railroad beware Derailed, Southern Norfolk, is responsible for keeping its promises to clean up the mess out of East Palestine and help the town recover.
Buttigieg also announced a package of reforms aimed at improving rail safety while regulators try to strengthen safety rules.
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