13 Million Pounds of Toxics Discharged into Texas Rivers and Streams

AUSTIN – Industrial facilities dumped 13 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Texas’ waterways in 2007, according to a report released today by Environment Texas: Wasting Our Waterways: Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act. The report also finds that toxic chemicals were discharged in 1,900 waterways across all 50 states. The information detailed in this report was compiled from the Environmental Protection Agency’s database on toxic release inventories.

“While nearly half of the rivers and lakes in Texas are considered too polluted for safe fishing or swimming, our report shows that polluters continue to use our waterways as dumping grounds for their toxic chemicals,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas.

“Our waterways are a source of sport and recreation. We need them protected, not polluted,” said Ed Parten, President of Texas Black Bass Unlimited.

The Environment Texas report documents and analyzes the dangerous levels of pollutants discharged in to America’s waters by compiling toxic chemical releases reported to the U.S. EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2007, the most recent data available.

Major findings of the report include:

    * Shell Oil Co. released 1.2 million pounds of toxic chemical waste into the Houston Ship Channel in 2007. The Shell Oil Co. was the third largest reported polluter of toxic chemicals in Texas in 2007. The Houston Ship Channel is ranked 15th in the nation for most total toxic discharges, with nearly 3 million pounds discharged in 2007.
    * Industrial facilities discharged approximately 27,500 pounds of chemicals linked to cancer into the Brazos River. The Brazos River is ranked 13th in the nation for discharges of cancer-causing chemicals and 1st in the nation for discharges of lead and dioxin.
    * Industrial facilities discharged approximately 5,483 pounds of chemicals linked to developmental disorders in to the Sabine River.
    * High levels of chemicals linked to reproductive disorders were also discharged in to the Brazos and Sabine rivers, which are ranked 4th and 9th in the nation respectively. 
    * Nationally, 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals were released to American waterways during 2007 by industrial facilities.

A recent study by University of Houston associate professor Dr. Hanadi Rifai found that 96 percent of the fish tested in the Houston Ship Channel had dioxin levels well above both state and EPA standards. But despite the alarming statistics, the Houston Ship Channel continues to be a popular fishing spot.

“People regularly go crabbing and fishing in the Houston Ship Channel and it’s unacceptable that industry continues to treat it as its personal toilet,” said Parten. “It’s time to clean up and protect all Texas water ways.”

“With facilities dumping so much pollution, no one should be surprised that nearly half of our waterways are unsafe for swimming and fishing,” said Metzger. “But we should be outraged.”

Environment Texas’ report summarizes the discharge of cancer-causing chemicals, chemicals that persist in the environment, and chemicals with the potential to cause reproductive problems ranging from birth defects to reduced fertility. Among the toxic chemicals discharged by facilities are lead, mercury, and dioxin. When dumped into waterways, these toxic chemicals contaminate drinking water and are absorbed by the fish that people eventually eat. Exposure to these chemicals is linked to cancer, developmental disorders, and reproductive disorders. In 2007, manufacturing facilities discharged approximately 1.5 million pounds of cancer-causing chemicals into American waters.

“There are common-sense steps that should be taken to turn the tide against toxic pollution of our waters,” added Metzger. “We need clean water now, and we need the federal government to act to protect our health and our environment.”

In order to curb the toxic pollution threatening Texas’ waterways, Environment Texas recommends the following:

   1. Pollution Prevention:  Industrial facilities should reduce their toxic discharges in to waterways by switching from hazardous chemicals to safer alternatives. 
   2. Tough permitting and enforcement:  EPA and TCEQ should issue permits with tough, numeric limits for each type of toxic pollution discharged, ratchet down those limits over time, and enforce those limits with credible penalties, not just warning letters.
   3. Protect all waters:  The federal government should adopt policies to clarify that the Clean Water Act applies to all of our waterways. This includes the thousands of headwaters and small streams for which jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act has been called into question, as a result of recent court decisions.

“We urge Congress and the President to listen to the public’s demands for clean water. They should act to protect all of our lakes, rivers and streams from toxic pollution,” said David Foster Texas Program Director for Clean Water Action.