Designated dollars diverted away from area
Report recommends millions in environmental impact funding be used elsewhere
Much of the funding earmarked for offsetting environmental damage to Texarkana, Texas, creeks is likely to be spent elsewhere, according to a draft report of recommendations by the government agencies that will decide.
The report recommends implementing 10 projects in Texarkana, at a total cost of $9.8 million, proposed by the city and local educational institutions. The projects are meant to compensate for environmental damage caused by the former Kerr-McGee creosote wood-treating facility on Buchanan Road, which polluted Texarkana creeks for almost a century. But the report does not recommend 12 other locally proposed projects and it says $9.6 million of the available funds should be spent on environmental restoration elsewhere in Northeast Texas.
Called a Draft Restoration Plan/ Environmental Assessment, the report sets forth what a group of trustees made up of state and federal agencies recommends doing with millions of dollars in damages recovered in relation to the KerrMcGee facility. Trustees include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service, the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The funds are not for site cleanup but are meant “to compensate the public for natural resources injured” by the plant through offsetting measures such as acquiring and preserving natural habitats.
Actual cleanup of Texarkana’s creeks is under way, funded through a separate process.
The report is the culmination of a decade-long study of the situation conducted according to federal regulations, which was complicated by the facility changing hands and its new owner declaring bankruptcy.
The wood-treating facility first opened in 1905 and operated under various companies before being acquired by Kerr-McGee in 1969, according to the report. Operations included treating railroad ties and other railroad timber with a creosote-based preservative. The creosote was released to the surface soil and subsequently leached to groundwater. It traveled off-site into the nearby creeks by overland flow and the discharge of groundwater from seeps.
Treating operations at the facility ended in 2003, and in 2005 Kerr-McGee transferred ownership to a company called Tronox. In 2006, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. acquired what remained of Kerr-McGee.
In 2008, the trustees began a natural resource damage assessment related to the facility, and while they were conducting it, Tronox declared bankruptcy. Settlement agreements in bankruptcy court awarded the trustees $21.3 million to use “to restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of the natural resources injured.”
The public proposed uses for the funds, and the Draft Restoration Plan/ Environmental Assessment presents all the alternatives trustees have considered and which they recommend implementing.
The trustees divided Texarkana’s proposal into two alternatives, one with 10 project components costing $9.8 million and another with 12 project components costing $6.6 million.
They recommend acting on the former alternative but not on the latter. A final version of the report is forthcoming, and proponents of the rejected projects have used the process’ public comment period to ask the trustees to reconsider them.
The 10 approved projects would preserve and enhance approximately 200 acres of forested habitats on the banks of Cowhorn, Days, Howard, Swampoodle and Waggoner creeks and restore and stabilize about 6 miles of urban creek channels.
The 12 rejected projects focused on urban wetland restoration and included some proposals by Texarkana schools.
One included creating a wetland at the former C.K. Bender Elementary School campus, which now serves as the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. Owned by Liberty-Eylau Independent School District, the property is across the street from the former Kerr-McGee facility. In a public comment letter, the district expressed their desire to be included in the final grant.
“As a district, we were pleased that years after the former Kerr McGee production facility closed, there was a possibility to bring not only a beautiful, natural area for the area most-closely affected by the site, but also an important educational opportunity to students across the Texarkana region,” the letter states. “We were disappointed that (our project) was not recommended for funding. We hope that the trustees will reconsider this component and grasp the opportunity to make a tangible impact for generations to come.”
It goes on to state that the district remains committed to the wetland creation, which can show the impact of both positive and negative environmental practices.
“Working on the site will allow area grade school students to interact with higher education students,” it states. “Research is clear that practical, real-world application makes educational concepts more impactful for students. We are thrilled at the notion of creating generations of students working toward a common goal.”
Texas A&M UniversityTexarkana was also left out after it had offered to help with the ecosystem restoration. Dr. David Yells, provost at the university, also sent a letter during the public comment period, asking that their efforts be included.
“We welcome the opportunity to provide public comments and had planned to participate with the scientific data collection and analysis plan as well as the development and implementation of environmental education activities for local schools, organizations and community members,” the letter states. “Our involvement, however, is contingent upon funds for planning and monitoring as outlined in the original proposal, which are not currently funded by the NRDA Trustees. We therefore request this line item in the City’s proposal be fully funded.”
Four of five alternatives approved by the trustees would affect locations in Northeast Texas outside Texarkana. They include acquiring habitat near Caddo Lake, restoring and enhancing the Mineola Nature Preserve, conserving Neches River bottomland forest, and acquiring land for the Talbot Prairie and Forest. Together, those alternatives would cost $9.4 million.
Delores McCright, retired biology professor with Texarkana College has been monitoring the Days Creek watershed for 25 years as part of the Texas Stream Team. She said she will continue to monitor the stream as part of the grant and that additional volunteers would be needed to monitor additional areas of the watershed.
“We were asked to help partner with them to write the grants,” she said. “It’s always good to have multiple partners so they know you have the support of the community. TC is on board. We think it’s a wonderful thing. We love to support our city.”
She said the scientific research they conduct on the watershed will be vital to the cleanup process.
“We are going to do some water testing and use the results from previous tests in the Days Creek watershed and use current tests and then test in the future to assure that the cleanup of the watershed has been a success,” McCright said.
She added that she didn’t know details of what TC’s role would be in the implementation of the grant, but that they are willing to help in any way possible.
“All of us have a heart for making sure our water is clean and nobody is dumping or messing things up for us,” she said. “We want to make sure our water is in good shape.”