Community Corner
Houston Ship Channel Closed After Dike Wall Fails At ITC Site
The U.S. Coast Guard closed a section of the Houston Ship Channel after a dike wall breach at the Deer Park ITC site on Friday.
DEER PARK, TX — The collapse of a dike wall surrounding the fire-damaged chemical storage tanks at the Intercontinental Terminals Company has forced the closure of the Houston Ship Channel, officials with the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday.
Channel traffic is closed from Tucker's Bayou to the ITC site, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials said.
Previously, booms were put in place by ITC’s environmental contractor at the direction of the Coast Guard.
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According to the TCEQ, the unified command is taking action to contain runoff from the breach with additional booms.
ITC’s contractor, at the direction of TCEQ, and the Coast Guard are skimming and pumping contaminated runoff into storage containers. TCEQ officials said they are working to fully assess and mitigate any wider impact.
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No threat to local public water systems has been detected, and no local water system draws its source water from the Houston Ship Channel, which is adjacent to the ITC site.
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