Dayton residents hold public meeting over oil spill

DAYTON “Almost two weeks ago, KPRC 2 was the first to report to you about the Dayton crude oil spill, which is damaging families’ property, their well water supply, and killing livestock.

Since then, operator Jay Management Company, which owns the mining rights in the area, has begun the cleanup process.

“I don’t think words can even describe how grateful I really am that not only me and my family, but this entire community is getting the help they need. They have been reaching out to us for so long,” Jimena Santos said.

On Saturday, the small Hispanic community held a meeting to discuss next steps.

KPRC 2 Re’Chel Turner was invited to the meeting.

Fiel Houston, a non-profit organization that responds to community needs, was also in attendance.

Several lawyers have listened to people’s concerns about what they have experienced over the past few months.

“This is something I have never seen in person. It’s very troublesome because people live in this mess,” said Cesar Espinosa, chief executive of Fiel Houston.

Residents say crude oil is starting to leak from rusty pipes located at sites off 4801 County Road near SH 99 in Dayton.

Over the weekend, families noticed a new oil leak that is slowly killing crayfish in the ditches.

One farmer showed brown water for his cows and horses to drink.

Activist Brian Lopez said the situation is getting much worse as families learn more information.

“It looks like these lands that people live on should not have been allowed to be inhabited,” he said.

Lopez, along with Phil Houston and AmCorCo’s chief operating officer, spoke to families at a community meeting.

“AmCorCo makes a product called AmCoro sorb that adds a hydrocarbon and changes the composition of petroleum gasoline to CO2 and H2O, i.e. water. It also eliminates potential fumes for an explosion or fire,” said Eric Mann.

Residents said last week they had a gas leak that took crews more than 30 minutes to fix.

“It started with the company closing our only easement to get into our homes, and then it started to snowball and it became a health issue,” Santos said.

The Environmental Protection Agency released the following statement:

The EPA was notified of the oil spill in Liberty County, Texas on Monday, February 27th. During negotiations with the Texas Railroad Commission and the responsible party, Jay Management, EPA learned that the oil spill occurred on January 27, 2023. Jay Management Company has contained the spill in a ditch along FM 1413 west of State Highway 99 and is cleaning up and collecting the spilled oil. The Texas Railroad Commission visited the site daily to monitor oil spill response. An EPA on-site coordinator travels to the site to coordinate with the Railroad Commission and assess the situation. Residents with health issues should contact their PCP or the Texas Department of Health (DSHS). For acute health concerns, residents should contact the Texas Poison Control Network (800-222-1222).”

Residents are considering suing Jay Management Company and fear the oil spill will only get worse.

We want to make sure that we organize this community and they find their voice and that someone, be it local, state or federal, takes notice of what’s going on here and doesn’t let it happen again,” Espinosa said. .

Community activists and organizations are going to contact Jay Management Company and try to hold a meeting.

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