The United States Fish and Widlife Service (USFW) requested the USEPA to conduct an assesment of a portion of Matagorda Island, TX to determine if levels of radiation previously found by the Texas Conservation Commission (TCEQ) along certain portions of the island were harmful to public health. The island is located off of the Gulf of Mexico and is a former United States Air Force base, which included a bombing site in the 1950's. The TCEQ informed the USEPA that roughly 5,000 fisherman and tourists frequent the Matagorda Island area annually. In addition, several endangered species are also located on the island.
During the annual TCEQ Matagorda Island Drum Run, TCEQ personnel detected levels of radiation 10 to 40X background using a MicroR meter on certain portions of the island. The USEPA along with USFW and the TCEQ will conduct an assessment of the island during the months of April and August 2008, to determine the source of the radiation and to determine if there is a threat to public health or to the environment.
