San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site (SJRWP) Singeltary Submission

San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site (SJRWP) Singeltary Submission

I hope everyone will join GBF in supporting EPA’s proposed plan to _REMOVE_ the dioxin wastes at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits up in Channelview.  Those wastes pose a major threat to the whole Bay system if the site is hit by a hurricane or flood and GBF has been calling for removal for a couple of years now.  See www.sanjacintowastepits.com for more info and a sample comment letter.  Letters are due to EPA by January 12^th.

-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Singeltary
To: R6_San_Jacinto_Waste_Pits_Comments
Sent: Wed, Nov 30, 2016 3:50 pm
Subject: San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site (SJRWP)

Remedial Project Manager

U.S. EPA Region 6 (6SF-RA)

1445 Ross Avenue

Dallas, Texas 75202-2733

Dear Mr. Miller-

I am writing you to state my support for the U.S. EPA’s proposal to remove the dioxin wastes at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site (SJRWP). I agree with EPA that removal is the only correct and permanent cleanup solution for this site. I also agree with EPA that containment alternatives cannot be shown to reliably contain the waste over a long-term basis, subjecting the community to the continued risk of a catastrophic release of dioxin.

Galveston Bay and its tributaries have already suffered due to the past release of dioxin from this site. It still poses a major threat today, 50 years after the wastes were first placed here. Those who enjoy recreating on the river and Bay and eating local seafood face a threat to their health due to the presence of dioxin in sediments, fish, and crab. This source of dioxin at the SJRWP needs to be removed now, once and for all, so it no longer poses a threat to our community.

This location is unsuitable for containment. EPA’s own Guidance for In-Situ Subaqueous Capping of Contaminated Sediments states that low-level, dioxin-bearing wastes can be capped and isolated in a low energy environment such as a protected harbor or low flow stream. However, the wastes in this pit are not low-level, and the San Jacinto River is not low energy, protected, or low flow. Attempting to cap the wastes in this location is simply too risky.

EPA has estimated that the dioxin concentrations in the northern pits, up to 44,000 parts per trillion, will NOT degrade to a safe level for another 750 years, so the cap itself will have to endure for over seven centuries as the river and the land around it move and change. A lot can happen at this site by the Year 2766 including hurricane strikes, major floods, new river channel cuts, river course changes, and barge strikes. Any such event could cause containment to fail.

The cap, purportedly designed to withstand a 100-year flood, has had repeated problems in the short 5 years it has been in place. Despite these problems, those responsible now want to convince us that they can make the cap permanent by simply adding more rock. Neither of the original companies responsible for disposing of waste at this location exist 50 years after its initial placement. So, we also have to ask who will repair a cap hundreds of years from now?

Instead of forcing future generations to deal with this mess, we need to take care of it now. Thank you again for your proposed plan to remove the wastes!

Sincerely,

with kindest regards,

Terry S. Singeltary Sr.

P.O. Box 42

Bacliff, Texas 77518

flounder9@verizon.net

on the bottom, Galveston Bay... http://galvestonbay.blogspot.com/