Superfund Sites in Reuse in Texas
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Bailey Waste Disposal
The Bailey Waste Disposal Superfund site is located about three miles from Bridge City, Texas. The site was originally part of a tidal marsh near the confluence of the Neches River and Sabine Lake. In the early 1950s, the property owner built two ponds on the site by dredging the marsh and piling the sediments to form levees around the ponds. In the 1950s and 1960s, the property owner allowed industrial and municipal waste disposal on part of the site. EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984 to address soil and sediment contamination. Key cleanup actions included disposing of some waste off site and capping the remaining waste material on site. Potentially responsible parties completed cleanup actions in 1997. These actions protected sensitive wetlands and made them safe for wildlife and recreational activities. Site inspection and maintenance activities continue.
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Crystal City Airport
The 120-acre Crystal City Airport in Crystal City, Texas, began operating during World War II as a military installation. In 1949, the U.S. Government deeded the airport to Crystal City. For the next 40 years, several aerial pesticide application companies conducted business on the airport property. In 1983, an inspection found over 70 drums of waste pesticides in various stages of decomposition. In 1986, EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). Officials closed the airport to the public in 1987. After listing the site, EPA and the State of Texas consolidated the waste and buried it in on-site disposal cells. After determining that the cleanup would protect people and the environment, the Crystal City Airport reopened for use in 1990. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 1995.
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North Cavalcade Street
The 21-acre North Cavalcade Street Superfund site is located in an industrial, commercial and residential section of Houston, Texas. The site is the former home of Houston Creosoting Company, Inc. (HCCI), a wood-treatment business that operated on site from 1946 to 1961. Facility operations and waste disposal practices caused contamination in soil and groundwater. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. Cleanup actions included soil containment and capping, groundwater and well use restrictions, and long-term monitoring. Groundwater monitoring continues. The northern 10 acres of the site outside the cap are available for reuse. Private owners manage the southern half of the site. Two businesses maintained their onsite operations from the initial remedial investigation through completion of construction of the final remedy in August 2011. In 2009, a spice import business renovated and now operates in one of the buildings. The Harris County Toll Road Authority plans to extend the Hardy Toll Road along the site’s western boundary to ease traffic flow north from the downtown Houston area. The Toll Road Authority will build the extension within a previous railroad easement adjacent to the Superfund site.
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Palmer Barge Line
The Palmer Barge Line Superfund site covers 17 acres. The site is located east-northeast of the City of Port Arthur, Texas. Along with properties immediately north and south of the site, the City used the site as a municipal landfill from 1956 to 1987. In 1982, John Palmer, President of Palmer Barge Line, Inc., purchased about 17 acres of the landfill area to service and maintain barges and marine vessels. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000. Chemicals of concern include organic compounds, pesticides and metals. Cleanup actions in 2000 and 2007 included waste removal, water treatment, oil/water separation, sludge stabilization, removal of contaminated soil and sludge removal. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 2012. The new owner, New Birmingham Resources Maritime II, LLC, is currently using the site as an industrial property.
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Pantex Plant (USDOE)
The Palmer Barge Line Superfund site covers 17 acres. The site is located east-northeast of the City of Port Arthur, Texas. Along with properties immediately north and south of the site, the City used the site as a municipal landfill from 1956 to 1987. In 1982, John Palmer, President of Palmer Barge Line, Inc., purchased about 17 acres of the landfill area to service and maintain barges and marine vessels. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000. Chemicals of concern include organic compounds, pesticides and metals. Cleanup actions in 2000 and 2007 included waste removal, water treatment, oil/water separation, sludge stabilization, removal of contaminated soil and sludge removal. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 2012. The new owner, New Birmingham Resources Maritime II, LLC, is currently using the site as an industrial property.
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Petro-Chemical Systems, Inc. (Turtle Bayou)
Petro-Chemical Systems, Inc. (Turtle Bayou)The Petro-Chemical Systems, Inc. Superfund site is located in a rural area 15 miles southeast of Liberty, Texas. Site operations started before 1970 and continued until the late 1970s. Parties dumped waste oils on County Road (CR 126) and into unlined waste pits along the road. After 1974, the owner subdivided the site into 5-acre and 15-acre plots. The owner sold the plots for residential development. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986 to address groundwater and soil contamination. In 1988, EPA and the State of Texas dug up, back-filled and re-built CR 126. Potentially responsible parties completed soil cleanup to industrial standards and re-built CR 126 to meet County Standards in 2010. The County assumed responsibility for long term maintenance of CR 126 in 2011. Groundwater monitoring continues. Due to liability concerns, one of the responsible parties either bought out the residential properties, or bought out the groundwater rights from residents not interested in relocating. The site is in public services continued use, as CR 126 crosses the site.
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RSR Corporation
RSR CorporationThe RSR Corporation Superfund site is in a residential and commercial area of West Dallas, Texas. The site spans a former lead smelter, several landfills and a 13.6-square-mile area investigated for lead contamination. Land uses include residential neighborhoods, public housing areas and some light industrial and commercial businesses. RSR Corporation operated a lead smelter on site from the 1920s until 1984. The company disposed of waste materials on site and in area landfills. The smelter also sent lead-contaminated smog into the surrounding community. Studies confirmed high blood-lead levels for residents and children living near the smelter. In 1995, EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). Cleanup activities prioritized the smelter facility, area landfills, affected residential areas and parks. EPA and the Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) removed lead-contaminated soil and buildings from a DHA public-housing area located northeast of the smelter. EPA and DHA cleaned up over 400 properties from 1991 to 1994. Cleanup of these areas resulted in lowered blood-lead levels for children and residents living in West Dallas. Cleanup also facilitated redevelopment. Portions of the DHA area now include new commercial businesses. The 275,000-square-foot headquarters for Goodwill Industries of Dallas is located on site. Cleanup of other portions of the site, including the former smelter facility and disposal areas, is now complete. EPA issued Ready for Reuse Determinations for the smelter facility and disposal areas in 2006 to facilitate future redevelopment. Ongoing uses include churches, parks, primary and secondary schools, commercial businesses and a community YMCA. In November 2015, EPA Region 6 awarded the Dallas Housing Authority and Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Inc. with an Excellence in Site Reuse award for their redevelopment of the site.
For more information:
- Reuse and the Benefit to Community: RSR Corporation Case Study (2015) (PDF)(56 pp, 3.7 MB, About PDF)
- RSR Corporation Ready for Reuse Determinations:
- OU3, Site 1 (2005) (PDF) (20 pp, 995 K)
- OU3, Site 4 (2005) (PDF) (24 pp, 1.0 MB)
- OU4 (2005) (PDF) (19 pp, 552 K)
- OU5, Subarea 1 (2005) (PDF) (20 pp, 525 K)
- OU5, Subareas 2, 3, and 4 (2005) (PDF) (20 pp, 882 K)
- Redevelopment of the RSR Corporation Superfund Site (PDF)(1 pg, 1.2 MB, About PDF)
- Press Release: EPA Hosts Superfund Redevelopment Awards Ceremony in West Dallas
- Superfund Site Profile Page
South Cavalcade Street
The 66-acre South Cavalcade Street Superfund site is located about three miles north of downtown Houston, Texas. A wood preserving facility operated on the site from 1910 to 1962. Owners also built a coal tar distillation plant in the southeastern portion of the site, which operated from 1944 to 1962. After the discovery of contamination on site, EPA added the site to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. Cleanup included consolidating and capping contaminated soils and installing a groundwater pump-and-treat system. In September 2014, EPA selected a new remedy for the groundwater. Short-term and long-term monitoring of groundwater continues. In 2000, parties constructed concrete caps which serve as truck parking. Pavement, buildings or storage areas cover a large portion of the site, particularly in the southern half of the site. Multiple businesses are using the site for industrial uses, including distribution, truck and heavy equipment staging, and pallet supply. A commercial business entity purchased the northern half of the site in March 2014. The Harris County Toll Road Authority plans to expand the street adjacent to the south side of the site and extend the toll road adjacent to the west side of the site.
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State Marine of Port Arthur
The State Marine of Port Arthur Superfund site is a 17-acre industrial tract of land east of Port Arthur, Texas. In the 1960s and 1970s, parties used the site for municipal landfill and barge cleaning operations. In 1998, EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL). In 2001, EPA removed source materials from the site. Removal activities included waste removal, water treatment, oil/water separation, and sludge stabilization and off-site disposal. After completing the removal action, EPA determined that the site did not pose a risk to human health or the environment based on an industrial/commercial future land use scenario. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 2012. The site owner is currently using the site as an industrial property for barge cleaning and metal scrapping activities.
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Tex-Tin Corp.
The 170-acre Tex-Tin Superfund site is located on the banks of Galveston Bay in Texas City, Texas. The site housed copper and tin smelting facilities from the beginning of World War II until the mid-1980s. Years of non-compliance with state environmental permitting requirements resulted in the site’s referral to EPA and addition to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Cleanup actions addressed waste piles, wastewater treatment ponds, acid ponds and slag piles. Cleanup actions also focused on the nearby Swan Lake Salt Marsh Area. Following the completion of cleanup activities, EPA awarded the site a Superfund Redevelopment Pilot grant in 2001. EPA issued the nation’s first Ready for Reuse (RfR) determination for the site in 2003. The RfR determination stated that as long as the site met certain conditions, it was protective for commercial uses. Phoenix International recognized the area as an ideal location close to an anticipated development by a large transportation services company, and purchased the site in 2005. The transportation services company withdrew plans to develop the nearby area in 2007. Texas City Terminal Railway Co. bought the site in 2010. Thanks to the efforts of prior site owners, EPA, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas City, the site remains ready for redevelopment. A development company plans to use the site as a container facility support the new Texas City megaport facility. The new facility will add a number of jobs to the area. The Swan Lake Salt Marsh Areas continues to serve as wildlife habitat and as a migratory bird flyway.
For more information:
- Tex Tin Ready for Reuse Determination (OU2) (2003) (PDF) (13 pp, 593 K, About PDF)
- Redevelopment of the Tex Tin Superfund Site (PDF)(1 pg, 75 K)
- Superfund Site Profile Page
United Creosoting Co.
The 100-acre United Creosoting Company Superfund site is located in Conroe, Texas. The site is about 40 miles north of Houston. From 1946 until 1972, the United Creosoting Company operated a wood preserving facility on site. Operators at the facility treated formed lumber, such as telephone poles and railroad ties. In 1977, companies developed a portion of the property that included the Tanglewood East residential subdivision and light industrial structures. After the discovery of groundwater and soil contaminated with wood treatment chemicals, EPA listed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984. Cleanup included digging up and capping soil near residences, and monitoring groundwater. The Conroe municipal water supply connects to all buildings on the site. EPA and the State cleaned up soils to residential levels. Groundwater monitoring is ongoing and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality leads maintenance activities at the site. Residential and light industrial land uses continue at the site.
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