GALENA PARK, Texas – People living in two communities that already deal with the potential of toxic exposures now have new concerns about where they live.
As part of the project to expand the Houston Ship Channel, sediment dredged from the waterway will be dumped at several sites in Pleasantville and Galena Park.
“The dredge material waste sites here keep getting higher and higher and higher every year,” said Galena Park resident Cruz Hinojosa Jr., who is also president of Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park.
There are currently seven dredge material waste sites in the two communities, and now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to build another dump site to handle material from the Ship Channel expansion. The project began in June and the first phase of dredging was completed in February.
“We’re very concerned about what’s in our environment. We’re surrounded by industry, we got the dredge sites up here that are about to get bigger, we just want to make sure everything gets tested so we can eliminate some of the burdens we have in Galena Park,” said Galena Park resident Juan Flores who also manages an air monitoring program for Air Alliance Houston.
Public Citizen, a watchdog group, is calling for USACE to move the potentially toxic sediment away from neighborhoods.
“A lot of the toxic chemicals that often leach out or spill out of these plants go into the Ship Channel and into the soil. So inevitably, that material is going to include a mixture of the chemicals that you see all around the Ship Channel, which include cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene,” said Erandi Trevino of Public Citizen.
In a statement to KPRC 2 News, Neil Murphy, a spokesperson for the USACE said:
“I can confidently tell you that we do and will work with the community and listen to their concerns as we develop solutions to maintain the channel and harbors because 1. Federal law, environmental responsibility, and standards of environmental justice are top of mind for us as guardians of water resources for 180 years. Secondly, we are literally residents of the Gulf Coast and we live and work in the community too, so we will do everything to protect communities and the environment. USACE processes and analyzes all material in accordance with EPA and TCEQ standards. We’ve always done it with a high degree of expertise and care. All sampled material here is in compliance with the Clean Water Act criteria.”
KPRC 2 News also received the following statement from Port Houston, which manages the Houston Ship Channel:
It is Port Houston’s understanding the USACE is to analyze the material in accordance with the EPA and TCEQ standards. We also understand that all sampled material is in compliance with the Clean Water Act criteria.”
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