Superfund Sites in Texas

1
Superfund Sites in Texas

• How are the processes of diffusion and osmosis
  involved in the movement of chemical contaminants
  in the environment?

2
Environmental Protection Agency

• What is the EPA?
• An agency established by the White House and
  Congress in July of 1970
• What is the goal of the EPA
• Protect human health
• Safeguard the natural environment (air, water,
  and land)
• Approximately 18,000 employees led by an
  administrator appointed by the President.

3
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission

• What is the TNRCC?
• Created in 1993 by the Texas Legislature.
• State effort to make protection of natural
  resources more efficient.
• What is the philosophy of this group?
• Make decisions based on the law, common sense,
  good science, and fiscal responsibility.
• Apply regulations consistently.
• Inclusion of the public in decision making.

4
What is the Superfund?

• The U.S. Congress passed the Comprehensive
  Environmental Response, Compensation, and
  Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980.
• Commonly known as the Superfund.
• Requires EPA to work with states to clean up
  abandoned, accidentally spilled, or illegally
  dumped hazardous substances from the past.

5
How does Superfund work?

• Site is identified by calls from citizens,
  accidents, or a planned search of an area.
• Study is conducted to score the area by the
  Hazardous Ranking System.
• What is HRA?
• Scale to determine how likely it is that someone
  will be exposed to the substance.
• Migration pathway of substance into the
  environment.

6
Four Migration Pathways
7
What about DIFFUSION or OSMOSIS in all of this??

• How is it possible for hazardous waste to reach
  living organisms given the site mapped here?

8
Assignment

• In lab groups, select one of the Superfund sites
  listed on the next slide.
• Research your site to determine the following
• Why was or is it on the Superfund list?
• Where is it located?
• How is (are) the hazardous substance(s) harmful
  to living organisms?
• How is homeostasis of living organisms affected
  in this region?
• What remediation effort has or will be
  undertaken?
• Create a PowerPoint presentation of 2-3 slides to
  share results with the class.
• http//www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/6sf-tx.htm

9
Superfund Sites in Harris County

• Brio
• Crystal Chemical
• Dixie Oil Processors
• Jensen Drive Scrap Metal
• Sikes Disposal Pits
• Many Diversified Interests
• French Limited

10
and FINALLY......
TRIANGLE CHEMICAL COMPANY
11

• In your lab groups, determine the following
• Why is this company on the Superfund list?
• Summarize the history of the site?
• Research the chemical pollutants to explain their
  use to the company and their effect on living
  organisms.
• Study the map provided and determine which way
  the ground water flows from the site. How can
  the chemical become part of this water?
• How might someone come into contact with the
  chemical(s)?
• Analyze the data you have been given by creating
  an Excel spreadsheet and graph according to
  instructions on the slide show, Analyzing Data
  Using Excel.
• Are the chemical concentrations decreasing?
• What does your R2 value indicate? Do you have
  enough data to make solid predictions?

12
Final Project Letter to TNRCC

• Purpose to explain results of data analysis
• Contents
• Introduce yourself and explain the purpose of
  your letter.
• Briefly explain your procedure.
• Discuss analysis of data
• Attach graph and spreadsheet
• Discuss validity of data
• Express thanks for providing real data.
• See RUBRIC for more detail.

13
Address

• Use the following address in your letter
• Mr. James Feeley
• Project Manager
• P.O. Box 13087
• Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
• Austin, TX 78711-3087
• E-mail your letter to the following web site
• jfeeley_at_tnrcc.state.tx.us