Government
BY SARAH BRAGER
EPA extends contract for feasibility study at Jones Road Superfund site
The impact
Cy-Fair residents questioned EPA representatives at the community meeting about their progress and timeline, citing public health as a primary concern. Residents shared fears of cancer, respiratory damage and fertility issues linked to chemical exposure. Superfund Project Manager Chris Villarreal told attendees there is no direct exposure threat in the sampling region. However, Melissa Rowell, president of the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, said she believes the EPA should be testing and monitoring water at properties outside the boundary, as contaminants may have spread beyond the sampling region. Currently, the EPA will only test water at properties located within the boundary, Guidry-Leach said. Jackie Medcalf, founder of Houston nonprot Texas Health and Environment Alliance, strongly encouraged residents at the meeting to grant the EPA access to their properties for sampling. She also urged community members to continue attending meetings and contacting their elected ocials, noting that most Superfund sites take at least 30 years to clean up. EPA ocials have asked residents located within the water line boundary for permission to collect groundwater samples in a eld investigation, consisting of two drilling phases. Guidry-Leach said the agency will either continue with the 2010 remedy or scrap it altogether and propose a new one, pending the outcome of the feasibility study.
projected for September 2026. The area became contaminated after Bell Dry Cleaners—which operated from 1984 to 2002 in a shopping center at 11600 Jones Road in Houston—improperly disposed of dry cleaning solvents, according to EPA reports. As a result, hazardous chemicals seeped into the soil and groundwater and spread outward, creating a plume. The site is one of 13 active Superfund sites in Harris County and was added to the EPA’s national priorities list in 2003.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $3.2 million contract to researchers for continued investigation of the Jones Road Groundwater Plume Superfund site, EPA representatives announced at a July 17 community meeting. The contract allows for further study of groundwater contamination to determine the feasibility of the 2010 remedy plan, EPA Remedial Project Manager Lauren Guidry- Leach said. The agency will have to develop an entirely new remedy if the plan is determined “not feasible” by the end of the study, which is
Jones Road Groundwater Plume Superfund site
According to the EPA’s community presentation, actions taken as part of the 2010 remedy plan are: Extracting and treating groundwater Activating microorganisms to work against contaminants, known as an in-situ bioremediation injection Plugging private wells in the area
WOODEDGE DR.
Installing indoor exhaust systems in three suites of Cypress Centre
TOWER OAKS BLVD.
Connecting eligible individuals to a public water supply that the EPA constructed in 2008
1960
Past EPA reports have already found the remedy is “not protective” in the long term.
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SOURCE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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CYFAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
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