Toxic wastewater from Ohio is being brought to Texas to be disposed of.
The water was used to put out the fire that resulted from the infamous February 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said on Thursday that 500,000 gallons of the toxic water have already been transported to Deer Park, a city that resides in Harris County, but questions remain about the way in which the water will be delivered and disposed of.
“I know that our community was taken aback by the news just as I was,” Hidalgo said, as reported by AP News. “I also want folks to know there are many things we don’t know that we should know. That doesn’t mean that something is wrong. And I want to stress that point.”
According to Hidalgo, the county only learned on Wednesday that the wastewater was being transported to Deer Park.
She added that she learned from a journalist that the water would be disposed of in Harris County, “not from a regulatory agency, not from the company.”
Hidalgo said this was “unacceptable.”
The disposal of the toxic water will be handled by Texas Molecular — a company certified in the safe and proper disposal of hazardous solutions.
“Our technology safely removes hazardous constituents from the biosphere,” the company told KHOU 11. “We are part of the solution to reduce risk and protect the environment, whether in our local area or other places that need the capabilities we offer to protect the environment.”
Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton said he is “very confident” that the disposal of the water is “being handled appropriately.”
Harris County is one of the few places in the country where the water can be properly disposed of, as it has about ten injection wells that can receive hazardous waste.
However, Hidalgo said there are similar wells in Ohio and Michigan, which are closer to the site of the derailment, and the water could presumably also be disposed of at those sites.
“There may be logistical reasons for all of this. There may be economic reasons. Perhaps Texas Molecular outbid the Michigan facility,” she said. “It doesn’t mean there’s something nefarious going on, but we do need to know the answer to this question.”
Hidalgo said there are still questions about the way in which the wastewater will be transported, as it could affect the health of workers involved with the delivery and the communities it passes through on its way from Ohio to Deer Park.
Even after conversations between Harris County and the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, these questions still have yet to be answered, according to Hidalgo.
“The government officials have readily provided the information they have, but what we’re learning is that they themselves don’t seem to have the full information,” she said. “I’m not clear on who has the full picture of what is happening here and that is a problem.”