Derailment waste heads to Deer Park
Local leaders vow to ensure disposal of hazardous chemical is done safely
Hazardous waste from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment fire is on its way to Deer Park, making a 1,300 mile journey to a disposal facility in Harris County.
More than 1.7 million gallons of contaminated liquid has been removed from the immediate site of the derailment, according to Ohio EPA spokesperson James Lee.
“Of this, 1,133,933 gallons have been hauled off-site, with most going to Texas Molecular, a hazardous waste disposal facility in Texas,” Lee said. “A smaller amount of waste has been directed to Vickery Environmental in Vickery, Ohio.”
Harris County leaders reassured residents they were monitoring the situation after Houston television station ABC13 reported late Wednesday that Texas Molecular would dispose of the Ohio waste water.
“I have communicated with Deer Park Emergency Management and Mayor (Jerry) Mouton, and am very sensitive to the concerns that this news naturally brings to our community. We will keep residents informed as we learn more,” County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement released Wednesday night.
On Feb. 4, more than three dozen Norfolk Southern freight cars — including 11 carrying hazardous materials — derailed near East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania border, prompting an evacuation because of a potential explosion from the wreckage, according to the Associated Press. Officials intentionally released and burned vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and smoke into the sky. Officials were trying to avoid an uncontrolled blast, but it left residents concerned about the long-term health effects, according to the Associated Press.
Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that is used to make a variety of plastic products. It burns easily, and exposure can increase the risk of cancer in the liver, brain and lungs, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“While there are assurances being made that transporting the wastewater poses minimal danger to people, my office will closely monitor the situation.” Precinct 2 County Commissioner Adrian Garcia
In the weeks since the incident, numerous state and elected officials have spoken out about the derailment and subsequent cleanup. On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for the cleanup, and federal regulators took the lead on recovery efforts, the AP reported.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who represents the Deer Park area, said his office had spoken to that town’s mayor and other officials to make sure the waste would be handled safely.
“While there are assurances being made that transporting the wastewater poses minimal danger to people, my office will closely monitor the situation to make sure people aren’t put in any risk,” Garcia said.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed the Deer Park facility would be receiving liquid waste from the Ohio train derailment and said the company is authorized to accept several hazardous waste streams.
“Permitted hazardous waste disposal facilities do not have to notify the TCEQ prior to receiving waste shipments, but they must submit monthly waste receipt summaries to TCEQ detailing the waste streams received,” the agency said in a statement. “The disposal facility is responsible for ensuring the accepted waste is in compliance with the waste streams, hazardous waste codes, and disposal methods authorized by the RCRA hazardous waste permit.”
Houston’s Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience did not welcome the news. CEER tweeted on Thursday: “We are disturbed to learn that toxic wastewater from #EastPalenstineOH will be brought to Harris County for ‘disposal.’ Our county should not be a dumping ground for industry.”
Texas Molecular President Frank Marine in a statement Thursday said the company is keeping the city of Deer Park and Harris County updated on water management efforts related to the Ohio derailment fire.
“Texas Molecular specializes in helping customers and the environment reduce risk by safely sequestering water at our facility which is regulated by US EPA and TCEQ,” Marine said. “We have operated at our Deer Park location for over 40 years. The waters are managed in accordance with TCEQ and EPA requirements from reception to sample evaluation of each truck to storage in tanks to filtration to process tanks to sequestration.”
Marine said the company has extensive experience managing this type of waste.
“The firefighting water on the current project is similar to firefighting waters we have accepted and safely managed in the past, including a very large fire a few years ago in our local area,” Marine said. “The community and regulators were glad that we had the ability to manage large quantities of firewater safely in a reasonable amount of time. The amount of the original chemicals is very small. We are not managing any pure products. Case in point, vinyl chloride as a pure product is a gas. We do not accept vinyl chloride gas. As a constituent in the water, it is not a gas, it contains very low levels of soluble vinyl chloride.”
Residents in the area have no reason to be concerned about their water being impacted, Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton said Thursday.
“It goes through a water treatment plant and there’s no possible scenario where there’s any contamination to do with industry,” Mouton said.
Asked if he had any concerns about the derailment waste coming to Deer Park, Mouton said, “None whatsoever.”
“We’re on a first-name basis with the plant managers,” Mouton added, saying Texas Molecular has been in Deer Park for decades and is actively engaged in the city’s local emergency planning committee.