What is a Superfund?
There are thousands of neighborhoods nationwide that have been contaminated by hazardous waste dumped, left out in the open, or improperly managed.
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Manufacturing plants, processing plants, landfills and mining sites all fall under this category.
Environmental investigators have been on the hunt in recent months with robotic rovers in the long-standing communities of the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. They’re hunting for toxic chemicals. These are communities that consist of primarily lower-income Blacks and Latinos. Residents KPRC 2 Investigates spoke with made it clear that they don’t see a neighborhood, they see something much different.
The EPA met last month with Houston’s Fifth Ward residents about their investigation into a cancer cluster.
“It’s important to recognize, you know, it is a scientific study. And as data comes in, it informs our next steps. So, you know, we have to take that information. We need to react to it,” said John Meyer from Region 6 of the Environmental Protection Agency. They hope to their investigation finished by the end of the year.
Here is a good resource we found -- the Superfund National Priorities List Where You Live Map. You can zoom in and see which Superfund sites are located near you.
See the Superfund sites in your area on the map below:
You can also view a full list of sites and explore the map on the EPA’s website.
Here’s a look at Superfund sites across the Houston area:
Conroe Creosoting Co. - Highway 105 East, Box 9, Conroe
Crystal Chemical Co. - 3502 Rodger Road, Houston
Dixie Oil Processors Inc. - 2505 Choate Road, Friendswood
Geneva Industries/Fuhrman Energy - 9334 Caniff Road, Houston
Harris (Farley Street) - 1000′s of Genoa Red Bluff Road, Houston
Highlands Acid Pit, 611 Battlebell - Clear Lake Road, Highlands
Jones Road Ground Water Plume - 11600 Jones Road, Houston
Many Diversified Interests, Inc. - 3617 Baer Street, Houston
North Cavalcade Street - northeast of the intersection of Cavalcade Street and Maury Street, Houston
Sol Lynn/Industrial Transformers - 1415, 1417, 1419 South Loop West, Houston
South Cavalcade Street, Houston
United Creosoting Co. - 2nd and Hilbig, Conroe
US Oil Recovery - 400 and 200 N. Richey Street, Pasadena
The goals of Superfund include:
- Protecting human health and the environment by remedying contaminated sites
- Holding responsible parties financially accountable for cleanup actions
- Engaging communities in the Superfund process to ensure their input and concerns are addressed
- Facilitating the return of Superfund sites to productive and safe use for the benefit of society.