The EPA will resume dumping toxic wastewater from Ohio in Harris County three days after operations were suspended, Hidalgo says.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has assured my office that transportation will resume with appropriate oversight,” Judge Hidalgo wrote in a statement.

HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Environmental Protection Agency Plans to Resume Recycling sewage from a train derailment in Ohio in Harris County starting Tuesday, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

This comes just three days after the agency said it would suspend operations due to comments from county and community leaders.

Hidalgo said wastewater disposal from firefighting is restarting in Harris County because the EPA told her office that heavy rain is coming at the rail derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, and disposal facilities in Ohio and Indiana have reached capacity limits.

“The EPA has assured my office that transportation will resume with appropriate oversight,” Hidalgo wrote in a statement. “At our request, employees of the Environmental Protection Agency will monitor the disposal around the clock. In addition, we are contacting DOT to verify what additional precautions are being taken for safe transportation.”

About a week ago, the city of Deer Park confirmed that water used to put out a major railroad fire in East Palestine, Ohio was going to a company called Texas Molecular, which is authorized to properly dispose of hazardous materials. The company is located near the Deer Park.

Hidalgo said she didn’t know this was happening in Harris County until she heard about it from the press.

“There is no statute, no law that says our office must be notified of the presence of hazardous materials,” Hidalgo said last week. “Now is it normal that there was an international disaster in Ohio, an explosion of this magnitude, and we suddenly found out that the same materials were entering our community for a week, driving around our community? I don’t think so”.

Hidalgo and Texas Molecular have confirmed that the facility outside Deer Park is capable of handling the amount of wastewater in question.

Hidalgo said she promises to continue to be transparent with the community, and she is pleased that Harris County is part of the positive change in how man-made disasters are handled.

Read Hidalgo’s full statement on continued wastewater disposal in Harris County below:

“The Environmental Protection Agency has just informed us that due to heavy rain at the crash site and capacity constraints at other facilities, transportation of firefighting water from East Palencin to Harris County will resume today.”

“The Environmental Protection Agency clarified that the remainder of the waste and some of the firefighting water is diverted to other facilities in Ohio and Indiana.”

“Most importantly, the EPA explained to me that the people of East Palestine need to properly store and dispose of this firefighting water, not to have it thrown off site. In the past, jurisdictions across the country have stepped up to help Harris. We are ready to help when we need it most. It is appropriate for us to help when we are able to do so and when it is safe to do so. and facilities in Indiana loaded.”

“The EPA has assured my office that transportation will resume with proper oversight. At our request, EPA bots will be on site to monitor the disposal around the clock. In addition, we are contacting DOT to review the additional precautions being taken. for safe transportation.

“The continued transparency and safety of our community are my highest priorities. We in Harris County are not new to man-made disasters. The tragedy in East Palestine is a call to action for the need for additional security measures when handling hazardous materials. and the lack of communication in response and transport points to the need for a more seamless system and clean communication. I’m glad Harris Couty is part of this positive change.”

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