Stages of cleanup for Ector County Superfund sites

Rigoberto Rodriguez does not want to sign a consent letter from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

TCEQ wants to run tests on his father’s property due to a recent groundwater contamination nearby. He said he’s afraid he’ll be left homeless and his father’s property will be torn up by the workers if they find contamination in the water, soil or air.

“I live here,” Rodriguez said.

For families like the Rodriguez family, toxins don't just affect the environment. They affect people's health, safety and well-being. Twenty groundwater contaminations were found in Ector County last year, including two new ones, TCEQ spokeswoman Lisa Wheeler said in a written statement. As government agencies work to clean up messes sometimes left decades ago, residents are left to wonder how the past will affect their future.

Rodriguez and his wife, Jessica, have spent three years building their new home in south Ector County, doing some of the construction themselves to save money. They’re currently staying in a small wooden building on his father’s property on Olive Street. The room also houses an old abandoned water well. The family bought the house on Olive Street in 1993.

Representatives from Shaw Environmental, a sub-contractor for TCEQ, came to the family's home in late January to explain that a high level of chromium contamination had been detected at the Precision Machine and Supply Superfund site nearby, Rodriguez said. Monitoring wells had detected just over 2,000 parts per billion of chromium VI at the site. Rodriguez and his brother, Rodrigo Rodriguez Jr. asked them to bring a Spanish-speaking person back to explain the situation to their father.

Ector County has eight Superfund sites, three of which are listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List. There are 158 Superfund sites in Texas, according to the TCEQ website. The EPA website lists 49 sites in Texas on the National Priority List.

A Superfund site occurs when hazardous wastes have been dumped and is designated by the EPA to be cleaned up. The National Priorities List contains the most toxic Superfund sites across the country, which is determined by their hazard ranking score. Superfund sites in the state that don’t reach the toxicity levels to go on the national list are cleaned up and monitored by the TCEQ.

Contaminations across the country are not uncommon, EPA Remedial Project Manager Vincent Malott said. Toxins are most often discovered by residents noticing something's funny with their water, he said. On Tuesday, the EPA announced that the Superfund site West County 112 in Midland County has been added to the National Priorities list.

The Midland County Superfund site was identified in April 2009 when a resident complained to the EPA about yellow discolored water in his private well, according to a news release from the EPA.

Since then, 234 wells have been tested in the area, with 46 testing positive for high levels of chromium VI. The drinking water wells in the contaminated aquifer are the only source of water for these residents, the EPA said. The West County Road 112 Ground Water Plume was proposed to the Superfund list in October 2010.The source of contamination is unknown and EPA officials warned it could spread to other people's wells.

“There is concern, especially when the water is used as drinking water by the public,” Malott said.

Chromium is a tasteless, odorless natural element found in rocks, animals, plants and soil, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. Chromium VI, or hexavalent chromium, is used for chrome plating, dyes and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preserving, along with chromium III. Studies have linked hexavalent to stomach ulcers, lung cancer and tumors, the website said.

The Safe Drinking Water Act passed by Congress in 1974 gives the EPA the authority to set standards for drinking water. Chromium standards are 100 parts per billion. Other contaminants include microorganisms, disinfectants, organic chemicals and herbicides.

There are several methods used to clean up ground water and provide safe drinking water, Malott said. Filtration systems are installed and monitored by the TCEQ. Both agencies use a pump and treat method, which involves pumping contaminated water out, treating it and then reinjecting the water. Bacteria are also used in some cases. The agencies also work with cities to extend city water lines.

In a written statement, TCEQ’s Wheeler said the agency had noticed chromium levels steadily increasing at an onsite well on the east side of the site. The site is a former chrome-plating and machine shop that operated until December 1980. The shop stored chromium contaminated water in an underground fiberglass tank, according to the TCEQ website. It went on the state Superfund registry in 1988. Its Hazard Ranking is 23.73. Any site scoring 28.50 or greater is eligible for placement on the NPL, according to the EPA website. Wheeler said they have a pump and treat system set up at the site.

Both the TCEQ and EPA said they contact local officials and notify potentially affected residents when a groundwater contamination is detected. Wheeler said the TCEQ notifies the county judge and County Health Department, as well as private well owners and groundwater districts.

In a written statement, spokesman David Bary said the EPA officials meet with county and city officials, including county commissioners, mayors and city council members. Local governments are kept updated through regular meetings, phone calls and mail outs. Both agencies also place notices in local newspapers and hold public meetings.

“The owners of the wells are kept informed of any testing results and remedies would be discussed with them,” Bary said.

There are no requirements in the law that say local city or county officials must notify the public about a spill or leak. County Judge Susan Redford said the county does not have jurisdiction to do so. City Manager Richard Morton said he doesn’t remember receiving any communication about the local Superfund sites.

“If it’s not coming from the city’s water supply, we’re not responsible,” Andrea Goodson, city of Odessa public information officer, said.

Shaw Environmental representatives returned with a Spanish-speaker to help explain the situation to the senior Rodriguez. Rigoberto doesn’t want to sign the consent form and said his father can’t sign it either. As the homeowner, it’s the father’s decision to give consent, but their father can’t fill out the form himself because he can’t read or write in English, Rodriguez said.

What concerns Rodriguez is the broad language on the consent form. It allows the agency to take other actions related to the investigation and take response actions necessary to mitigate threats to humans or the environment. The water well was tested in 1998 or 1999 and the family was told that the well was contaminated, Rodriguez Jr. said. The well is broken and they don’t use the water from it.

The new house in south Ector County is about halfway done. Rodriguez said he is worried that the TCEQ will want to remove the well located in the room he and his wife are living in. He said he is concerned about how the test results might affect the future.

“I don’t have another place to go right now,” Rodriguez said.

SUPERFUND SITES

Angus Road Groundwater Plume
>> Location: 4300 block of Angus Road
>> Hazard Rating: 35.46
>> Site Status: Not Listed
>> Source: Unknown

East 67th Street Groundwater Plume
>> Location: East 67th Street between Andrews Highway and Alderfer Avenue
>> Hazard Rating: 50.00 on EPA National Priorities List
>> Site Status: Water filtration operation and maintenance
>> Source: Unknown

Odessa Chromium No. 1
>> Location: 20 acres near 44th Street and Brazos Avenue
>> Hazard Rating: 42.24 on EPA National Priorities List
>> Site Status: Final stages of cleanup
>> Source: Chrome plating operations in 1960s-1970s

Odessa Chromium No. 2
>> Location: near Andrews Highway between West 52nd Street and West 57th Street
>> Hazard Rating: 42.24 on EPA National Priorities List
>> Site Status: Final stages of cleanup
>> Source: Chrome plating operations in 1960s- 1970s

Permian Chemical Company
>> Location: 325 Pronto Ave.
>> Hazard Rating: 10.12
>> Site Status: Cleanup Complete
>> Source: Company manufactured hydrochloric acid and potassium sulfate fertilizer

Process Instrumentation and Electrical
>> Location: Northwest corner of 48th Street and Andrews Highway
>> Hazard Rating: 25.6
>> Site Status: Hazard Rating Survey completed
>> Source: Plating shop

Precision Machine and Supply
>> Location: 500 W. Olive St.
>> Hazard Rating: 23.73
>> Site Status: Clean up complete; in operation and maintenance
>> Source: Chrome-plating and machine shop

Sprague Road
>> Location: 2725 West 81st St, 2626 Stevens and 8410 Sprague roads
>> Hazard Rating: 43.21
>> Site Status: In its second five year review by the EPA
>> Source: Three plating and casting facilities

Source: TCEQ and EPA
5 sites under TCEQ supervision
3 sites under EPA supervision