Dishonorable Discharge Toxic Pollution of Texas Waters
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E NVIRONMENTAL W G TM The State PIRGs ORKING ROUP Dishonorable Discharge Toxic Pollution of Texas Waters Jacqueline D. Savitz Christopher Campbell Richard Wiles Carolyn Hartmann Dishonorable Discharge was released in cooperation with the following organiza- tions. Environmental Working Group is solely responsible for the analyses and in- formation contained in this report. National Organizations Acknowledgments Citizen Action and We are grateful to Molly Evans who designed and produced the report affiliated state organizations and to Allison Daly who coordinated its release. Thanks to Ken Cook Clean Water Action and Mark Childress for their editing and advice, and to Dale Klaus of and affiliated state organizations U.S. PIRG who assisted with research. Environmental Information Center River Network Dishonorable Discharge was made possible by grants from The Joyce Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund Foundation, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, The Pew Charitable U.S. Public Interest Research Group Trusts, and Working Assets Funding Service. A computer equipment and the State PIRGs grant from the Apple Computer Corporation made our analysis pos- sible. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors Regional, State and and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts or our other supporters listed above. River Organizations Alabama State River Coalition Copyright © September 1996 by the Environmental Working Group/ Alaska Center for the Environment The Tides Center. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United Chesapeake Bay Foundation States of America, printed on recycled paper. Clean Water Fund of North Carolina Colorado Rivers Alliance U.S. PIRG and The State PIRGs Dakota Resource Council The United States Public Interest Research Organization (U.S. PIRG) is Delaware Nature Society the national lobbying office for the state PIRGs. PIRGs are nonpartisan, Dog River Clearwater Revival nonprofit watchdog organizations, working for environmental, con- Florida Environmental Alliance sumer, and government reform in over thirty states. Friends of the Los Angeles River Friends of the River of Virginia Gene Karpinski, Executive Director Friends of the Tennessee River Georgia Environmental Organization Great Lakes United Environmental Working Group Hudson River Sloop Clearwater The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit environmental re- Idaho Conservation League search organization based in Washington, D.C. The Environmental Idaho Rivers United Working Group is a project of the Tides Center, a California Public Kansas Natural Resource Council Benefit Corporation based in San Francisco that provides administrative Louisiana Environmental Action Network and program support services to nonprofit programs and projects. Mid-South Peace and Justice Center Mississippi River Basin Alliance Kenneth A. Cook, President New York Rivers United Mark B. Childress, Vice President for Policy Northern Plains Resource Council Richard Wiles, Vice President for Research Office of the River Keeper Tennessee Oregon Environmental Council To order a copy Pennsylvania Assoc. of Watersheds Copies of this report may be ordered for $15.00 each (plus 6% sales tax and Rivers or $0.90 for Washington, D.C. residents) and $3.00 for postage and People for Puget Sound handling. Payment must accompany all orders. Please make checks Rivers Alliance of Connecticut payable to: Rivers Unlimited Ohio Save Our Rivers North Carolina Environmental Working Group Save San Francisco Bay 1718 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 600 Sierra Club Kentucky Chapter Washington, D.C. 20009 Sierra Club South Dakota Chapter (202) 667-6982 (phone) (202) 232-2592 (fax) [email protected] (e-mail) Tennessee Environmental Council Tongass Conservation Society Utah Rivers Conservation Council World Wide Web Washington Toxics Coalition Environmental Working Group publications are available on the World West Virginia Rivers Coalition Wide Web at: <http://www.ewg.org> Dishonorable Discharge Toxic Pollution of Texas Waters Executive Summary Most Texas citizens would be surprised to learn that scores of businesses and facili- ties across the state legally dump tons of toxic chemicals into the state’s rivers, streams, lakes, and bays. Many of these same polluters flush millions more pounds of toxic substances down the drain to sewage treatment plants that taxpayers pay to operate and maintain. None of the toxic chemicals sent to publicly financed sewage treatment systems are reported as pollution by the EPA, even though a great deal of the toxic load eventually finds its way to Texas streams and rivers. The citizens of Texas have a right to know about any pollution of their water, air or land that may pose a risk to human health or the environment. The goal of Dishonor- able Discharge is to inform the public about the massive level of toxic pollution of the waters in their state, and point out the need for more comprehensive reporting of toxic chemical use, transport, and pollution, in Texas and nationwide. Factories and other industrial facilities dumped more than 28.8 million pounds of toxic substances directly into Texas waters between 1990 and 1994, according to a new analysis of the federal Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (Table 1). Texas ranked 3rd among the states in toxic water pollution reported over those five years. Because of weaknesses and loopholes in federal pollution laws, most, if not all of these toxic dis- charges are perfectly legal. As large as they are, these figures substantially underestimate toxic releases to wa- ters and the environment because the TRI requires reporting of only about 340 of the 73,000 chemicals in commerce. The TRI also exempts certain industries from reporting, including utilities, sewage treatment plants, municipal incinerators, and manufacturing facilities with fewer than ten employees. In addition, almost 150 million pounds of toxic materials were flushed to sewage treatment plants in Texas from 1990 through 1994, 3rd in the nation (Table 1.) EPA estimates that twenty-five percent of all discharges nationwide flow through sewage treatment plants untreated (EPA 1995). Applying this 25 percent estimate to Texas raises the total amount of toxics dumped to the state’s waters to an estimated 65.6 mil- lion pounds (Table 1). The Houston Ship Channel received the greatest amount of toxic water pollution in Texas from 1990-1994, a total of 18,200,000 pounds, followed by the Brazos River, the Neches River, and Galveston Bay (Table 2). The ten most polluted waterways in Texas received 26,200,000 pounds of toxic pollution between 1990 and 1994, 91.0% percent of the total in the State. The top three facilities reporting the most toxic pollution of Texas waters over this period were Mobil Mining & Minerals Company in Pasadena, which dumped ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/THE STATE PIRGS 1 15,400,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, followed by Dow Chemical Company, and Exxon Baytown Refinery in the towns of Freeport, and Baytown, respectively (Table 3). The toxic chemicals dumped in the greatest amounts were phosphoric acid, a total of 13,100,000 pounds, followed by ammonia, and sulfuric acid (Table 4). Huntsman Corporation dumped the most carcinogens into Texas waters, a total of 149,000 pounds, followed by Ameripol Synpol Corporation and Dow Chemical Com- pany (Table 8). The Neches River received the greatest amount of cancer-causing toxic chemicals in Texas, a total of 273,000 pounds, followed by the Brazos River and the Houston Ship Channel (Table 7). Gulf Reduction Corporation dumped the greatest amount of persistent toxic metals in Texas waters, a total of 413,000 pounds, followed by Star Enterprise and Exxon Baytown Refy. (Table 8). The Buffalo Bayou received the greatest amount of persistent toxic metals, a total of 436,000 pounds, followed by the Houston Ship Channel and the Taylor Bayou (Table 7). Ameripol Synpol Corporation dumped the greatest amount of toxic chemicals that cause reproductive damage or birth defects into Texas waters, a total of 98,000 pounds, followed by CDC Coatings and Lyondell Petrochemical Company (Table 8). The Neches River received the greatest amount of toxic chemicals that cause reproductive damage or birth defects, a total of 117,000 pounds, followed by the Houston Ship Channel and Carpenter’s Bayou (Table 7). These discharges to Texas waters include only those wastes released by companies physically located in Texas. Many waterways receive additional pollution from sources outside of the state. Information on toxic water pollution in other states can be found in EWG’s state reports series, and in the national report, Dishonorable Discharge. Recommendations Americans have a right to know about any use, transport, or release of toxic sub- stance in their communities that might pose a risk to human health or the environ- ment. Required reporting under the TRI provides only a small portion of this informa- tion. Much more complete reporting is needed. Americans also have a right to know about toxic chemicals in the products they buy that may pose a risk to them and their children. Full accounting of the use of toxic materials reveals many low cost opportunities for pollution prevention. In New Jersey, state officials estimate that every dollar spent on such materials accounting practices generates five to eight dollars in increased effi- ciency (GAO 1994). Without materials accounting industry will miss many opportuni- ties for substantial low cost reductions in pollution, and the public and policy makers will