By David Taylor / Managing Editor
In a significant victory for the residents of East Harris County, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the cleanup plan for the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site. This decision comes after years of delays and persistent advocacy from the community, led by the Texas Health and Environment Alliance (THEA).
The EPA’s ruling imposes over 40 additional conditions on the companies responsible for the toxic waste, International Paper Company and Waste Management subsidiary McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation. These conditions are designed to ensure a thorough and effective cleanup of the site, which has been a source of dioxin and other hazardous materials for decades.
Jackie Medcalf, CEO and Founder of THEA, expressed her gratitude and relief at the EPA’s decision.
“The EPA is taking decisive action to protect the community and the San Jacinto River,” Medcalf said. “This is a victory for all of the residents who have been pushing for the cleanup of this environmental hazard for so many years.”
The San Jacinto River Waste Pits, located in Harris County just east of Houston, have been under a court mandate to produce a final cleanup plan since 2018. While the Southern Pit was successfully cleaned up in 2024, the plan for the Northern Pit faced numerous delays and setbacks. The companies responsible for the cleanup sought and received 565 days’ worth of delays and submitted multiple plans that did not meet the EPA’s requirements.
In a letter dated September 9, 2025, the EPA approved the companies’ final plan but took the unusual step of requiring agency approval for any changes.
“EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said his priority is to jumpstart the superfund site cleanup process, and this may be the most important project to see action under that policy,” Medcalf noted. “We appreciate the EPA taking firm action on a project that has been allowed to languish for far too long.”
The community’s involvement played a crucial role in the EPA’s decision.
“The people who live along the river deserve the real credit for this action,” Medcalf said. “The EPA’s conditions reflect many of the same requirements that the community has been pushing for, including assurances that the site will be thoroughly tested to make sure the cleanup was done properly.”
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who has been actively pushing the EPA to take definitive action, also praised the decision.
“For decades, families along the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site have carried the burden of living next to one of the nation’s most toxic sites,” Ramsey said. “The decision by the EPA to approve the removal plans is a long-awaited victory for our community.”
Despite the approval, there are still details to be finalized, including establishing a timeline and setting penalties for any failure to follow the plan. THEA and its coalition remain committed to ensuring the companies are held accountable until the hazardous material is removed.
“Residents have lost loved ones. Many have developed cancer and other illnesses themselves, but they never stopped,” Medcalf said. “This community isn’t going anywhere, and they aren’t going to stop pushing for a full, effective cleanup.”
The EPA’s decision marks a new phase in the long battle to clean up the San Jacinto River Waste Pits. The community, along with local officials and THEA, will continue to monitor the progress and ensure that the cleanup is done right, done safely, and done quickly.
“This is our river, our home, our future, and we are determined to see this cleanup is done right,” Medcalf emphasized.
As the legal wheels begin to turn, the community remains vigilant.
“We will keep watching. We will keep demanding transparent timelines, clear expectations, and accountability to make sure every one of EPA’s conditions is met and that the remedy moves forward without further delay,” Medcalf said. “We have fought too long to accept anything less than the safest and most expeditious cleanup possible.”
At a press conference in Meadowbrook Park, just yards away from the actual Superfund site, Medcalf gave the details to the media and interested parties from the community.
In the background, teems of fish were jumping in the river, none of which can be eaten without fear of dioxin contamination.
Residents were relieved that in their lifetime, the river may finally be restored to its original state.
“This decision is not the end. It’s the start of a new phase. The legal wheels will now turn, and we will keep fighting to ensure that the cleanup is done right,” she concluded.
