Here Are The Toxic Sites In Houston That Could Flood: Report

HOUSTON, TX - Houston residents face dangerous possibilities of exposure to a toxic stew of chemicals. Hurricane Harvey offered a glimpse of the danger of the release of potentially cancer-causing chemicals. Home to a concentration of chemical and plastics plants, oil and gas refineries, and Superfund sites, Houston has more than 100 flood-prone toxic waste sites, The New York Times found.

The Times conducted an analysis of federal Environmental Protection Agency data, finding that 2,500 toxic chemical sites nationwide are located in flood-prone areas, and of those 1,400 are located in areas with a high risk of flooding. A warming climate brings increased flooding risk.

Chemical spills during Hurricane Harvey were multiple, including three at one of Houston's dirtiest Superfund sites, a former petroleum industry waste processing plant. Power failures and an explosion at the Arkema chemical plant northwest of Houston forced plant evacuations in a 1.5-mile radius and created a toxic plume of dangerous chemicals.

The EPA tracks releases of toxic chemicals nationwide — many in flood-prone areas — that cause cancer or threaten the environment. These sites release toxic chemicals into the air, water or land, a database kept by the EPA shows.

To keep track of where threats are present, the EPA maintains an inventory of toxic releases, and New York Times reporters Hiroko Tabuchi, Nadja Popovich, Blacki Migliozzi and Andrew W. Lehren analyzed the numbers to pinpoint the most-at-risk chemical sites.

There are more than 21,600 sites across the United States in the toxics release inventory. In general, chemicals covered by the program are those that cause cancer and other chronic health problems or pose significant environmental threats. There are 446 total sites in the Houston area.

Industries that handle toxic waste aren't required by federal law to take extra precautions during flooding, and state and local regulations requiring action plans are particularly nonexistent. President Trump rolled back Obama-era rules that would have required projects receiving federal assistance to plan for flooding resulting from rising sea levels.

» Read the full story on The New York Times.

Image via Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP