san jacinto river waste pits

W BANK OF SAN JACINTO RIVER, N OF HWY 10

The Site consists of a set of impoundments approximately 14 acres in size, built in the mid-1960s for disposal of paper mill wastes, and the surrounding areas containing potentially contaminated sediments and soils. The impoundments are located on a partially submerged 20-acre parcel on the western bank of the San Jacinto River, in Harris County, Texas, immediately north of the I-10 Bridge over the San Jacinto River between Channelview and Highlands. An additional impoundment is located south of I-10. Residential, commercial, industrial, and other land use activities occur within the area surrounding the site. Residential development on the eastern bank of the river is present within 0.5 mile of the Site. In 1965, the impoundments north of I-10 were constructed by forming berms within the marsh, to the west of the main river channel. These impoundments were divided by a central berm running lengthwise (north to south) through the middle, and were connected with a drain line to allow flow of excess water (including rain water) from the west impoundment to the east impoundment In 1965 and 1966, pulp and paper mill wastes were transported by barge from the Champion Paper Inc. paper mill in Pasadena, Texas and unloaded into the impoundments. The Champion Paper mill used chlorine as a bleaching agent, and the wastes that were deposited in the impoundments have been found to be contaminated with polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins, polychlorinated furans (dioxins and furans), and some metals. Physical changes in the 1970s and 1980s has resulted in partial submergence of the impoundments north of I-10 and exposure of the contents to surface waters. The San Jacinto River from south of the Lake Houston dam, and including the Site, is tidally influenced. The EPA issued an Action Memorandum on April 2, 2010 for a time critical removal action to cap the waste pits and to prevent direct human and benthic contact with the waste materials until the Site is fully characterized and a remedy is selected. The removal action was completed in July 2011 The population within one-mile of the Site is 1,701 persons.

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