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RELEASES OF TOXIC CHEMICALS INTO TEXAS WATERS AND SEWERS BY TOP 10
COUNTIES IN 2001
|
|
COUNTY
|
TOXIC WATER RELEASES (LBS.), 2001
|
COUNTY
|
TOXIC TRANSFERS TO MUNICIPAL SEWERS (LBS.), 2001
|
|
BRAZORIA
|
16,283,852
|
HARRIS
|
29,123,136
|
|
HARRIS
|
2,927,972
|
GALVESTON
|
2,570,912
|
|
JEFFERSON
|
1,556,216
|
CHEROKEE
|
1,132,937
|
|
NUECES
|
1,131,575
|
TRAVIS
|
868,617
|
|
GALVESTON
|
1,011,374
|
DALLAS
|
855,514
|
|
TITUS
|
702,585
|
TARRANT
|
807,659
|
|
VICTORIA
|
540,106
|
GRAYSON
|
403,310
|
|
HUTCHINSON
|
497,217
|
BEXAR
|
206,546
|
|
JASPER
|
402,400
|
ECTOR
|
184,444
|
|
ORANGE
|
286,320
|
MOORE
|
179,339
|
|
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001 Toxics Release Inventory, TRI Explorer, 2003.
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|
Toxics are poisonous compounds that have been identified as being harmful to human health and the
environment. Discharges of toxic water pollutants into the surface waters of the state are a mounting public concern. Some toxics are soluble in water and pose a threat to
human health if the water is used for drinking or swimming. Other toxics are not soluble in water but may become attached to sediment and be consumed by aquatic life forms, thereby
entering into the food chain. This process, known as bioaccumulation, puts humans at risk if the toxics become concentrated in higher life forms like fish.
Not until 1988 did limits on toxics became a major part of the water quality standards. The state water quality
standards of 1991 addressed only 61 specific toxic compounds out of thousands of potential compounds. The 1995
water quality standards raised this number by setting numerical criteria for 39 toxic pollutants for aquatic life and 65 toxic pollutants for drinking water and human consumption of fish.* In addition, for larger dischargers, the TCEQ
requires biomonitoring—also known as whole effluent testing—in which the ambient toxicity of the effluent is tested on
aquatic species. Still, despite specific numerical criteria and ambient toxicity testing, many chemicals could be directly
discharged into Texas's surface waters without any discharge permit limits.
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PRETREATMENT OF INDUSRIAL WASTE DISCHARGES
|
|
|
|
Source: Texas Extensiuon Educational Service, Texas A&M
University, Basic Wastewater Operations (College Station: Texas Engineering Extension Service, 1994), 4-10
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|
Finally, some industries route their toxic discharges through publicly owned
treatment works (POTWs), which are often not designed to remove toxic chemicals and metals. Most cities, large or small, require that the industrial facilities that release
toxics through POTWs pretreat their wastewater to limit toxins and the state makes most large cities maintain and enforce a pretreatment program. Currently
in Texas, for example, the TCEQ requires 128 of the municipal discharge permits to maintain a pretreatment program to control industrial wastewater discharges.* In addition, under federal law, 21 categories of industries must pretreat their wastes to "best available technology" before
discharging wastes to a public wastewater treatment plant.* However, neither
industrial nor municipal pretreatment programs are universally applied or enforced.*
One of the best sources of information for the amount of toxics entering Texas waters is the Toxics Release Inventory
(TRI). Under the federal Superfund Authorization and Renewal Act and subsequent regulations expanding the program,
manufacturing companies, utilities and mining companies with 10 or more employees that use or manufacture more
than 25,000 pounds per year of any of more than 650 toxic chemicals or chemical compounds must file an annual report with the state.*
Texas manufacturers reported releases of 33 million pounds of toxic chemicals directly into surface water in 2000, and
more than 26 million in 2001. More than 65 percent of this total was due to releases of nitrates and other compounds
in Brazoria County. Texas ranked second only to Pennsylvania in total releases to surface waters in 2000 and was first in 2001.* In addition to these pounds of toxics, Texas industrial facilities released more than 700 grams of highly-toxic
dioxins and dioxin-like carcinogens in 2001, virtually all of it from a single facility --Dow Chemical in Freeport. In 1993
Texas facilities released only 553,642 pounds of toxics into Texas streams and rivers.* However, the years are not
directly comparable because in 1993 only 332 chemicals were required to be reported. In fact, direct toxic discharges have been reduced significantly in the last two years.
In 2001, over 37 million pounds of toxic chemicals were transferred for management at public sewage plants.* About 70 percent of the amount of chemicals transferred were produced by four companies in Pasadena—Air Products,
Celanese Chemical Co., Equistar Chemicals Company and Lyondell Chemical Co—in the Houston-Bay Port region. About
80 percent of all toxics transferred to public sewers in 2001 were in Harris County.
Among the most common chemicals reported being released to surface water and public treatment plants were nitrate
compounds, methanol, ammonia, ethylene glycol, and nitric acid.*
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TOP 10 FACILITIES RELEASING TOXICS TO SURFACE WATERS
AND PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS, 2001
|
|
RANK
|
FACILITY
|
CITY
|
COUNTY
|
LBS RELEASED OR TRANSFERED, 2001
|
|
Releases into Surface Waters
|
|
1
|
BASF CORP.
|
FREEPORT
|
BRAZORIA
|
15,644,870
|
|
2
|
MOTIVA ENTERPRISES
|
PORT ARTHUR
|
JEFFERSON
|
1,221,310
|
|
3
|
VALERO REFINING
|
TEXAS CITY
|
GALVESTON
|
769,521
|
|
4
|
ROHM & HAAS TEXAS INC.
|
DEER PARK
|
HARRIS
|
715,194
|
|
5
|
DEER PARK REFINING
|
DEER PARK
|
HARRIS
|
713,959
|
|
6
|
PILGRIM'S PRIDE CORP. MT. PLEASANT COMPLEX
|
MOUNT PLEASANT
|
TITUS
|
702,060
|
|
7
|
DU PONT VICTORIA PLANT
|
VICTORIA
|
VICTORIA
|
540,106
|
|
8
|
PHILLIPS 66 CO.
|
BORGER
|
HUTCHINSON
|
497,217
|
|
9
|
WESTVACO TEXAS
|
EVADALE
|
JASPER
|
402,400
|
|
10
|
VALERO REFINING CO. - TEXAS
|
HOUSTON
|
HARRIS
|
338,024
|
|
Transfers to Publicly Owned Treatment Works
|
|
1
|
Air Products, Inc.
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
11,977,654
|
|
2
|
Celanese Ltd.
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
7,758,960
|
|
3
|
Union Carbide Corp.
|
Texas City
|
Galveston
|
2,489,130
|
|
4
|
Equistar Chemicals
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
2,422,300
|
|
5
|
Lyondell Chemical
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
1,986,619
|
|
6
|
Lyondell-Citgo Refining L.P.
|
Houston
|
Harris
|
1,659,388
|
|
7
|
Western Lithotech
|
Jacksonville
|
Cherokee
|
1,132,937
|
|
8
|
PPG Inds.
|
La Porte
|
Harris
|
544,472
|
|
8
|
Simpson Pasadena Paper Co.
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
620,000
|
|
9
|
Rohm & Haas Co.
|
La Porte
|
Harris
|
434,879
|
|
10
|
Eval Co. of America
|
Pasadena
|
Harris
|
408,184
|
|
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2001 Toxics Release Inventory, TRI Explorer, 2003.
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