EPA clears Texas Superfund site as safe for reuse and redevelopment
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The EPA announced on Wednesday that a former Texas metal plating shop is being deleted from a list of the most contaminated Superfund sites in the country after it was found safe for use.
The National Priorities List (NPL) is a list of the most contaminated Superfund sites in the nation that pose serious threats to human life and the environment. A site can be deleted from the list when the cleanup is complete, allowing residents to begin reusing and redeveloping the land.
One of the sites on the NPL was the River City Metal Finishing site in San Antonio. The site used to be a metal plating shop that was in operations from 1994 until about 2002. When it closed, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) began cleaning up waste and hazardous materials at the site.
However, in 2017, the TCEQ discovered that the groundwater had been contaminated with hexavalent chromium and referred the site to the EPA. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, hexavalent chromium compounds are carcinogens that can cause harm to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system.
Between Mar. 2019 and July 2020, the EPA conducted a remedial investigation of the site. In 2021, the EPA's Record of Decision decided to not take any action after finding that although hexavalent chromium levels were elevated in the groundwater around the building, they did not exceed the agency's drinking water standards.
In a statement, the EPA said that the site does not pose "unacceptable risks to human health and the environment for future residential commercial, and industrial land use."