On December 27, at approximately 2:30 a.m. , the National Response Center (NRC) notified EPA Region 6 of a release of spent sulfuric acid from BWC Terminals, located at 16335 Peninsula Street in Houston, Harris County, Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reported that the release resulted in off-site air impacts to nearby industrial facilities. Two ship crews in the immediate vicinity were evacuated, and a shelter-in-place order was implemented for surrounding businesses. There are no residential or sensitive receptors within 1.5 miles of the incident location. An unknown amount of the released material exited secondary containment through a drainage pipe and entered the Houston Ship Channel, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) restricted vessel traffic at the docks nearest the facility.
Because the origin of the
release occurred within the Inland Zone, EPA Region 6 assumed the role of
Federal On-Scene Coordinator under the National Contingency Plan. Upon arrival,
EPA joined Unified Command with TCEQ, Harris County, and the potentially responsible
party (PRP) Incident Commander. The PRP led response operations under EPA
oversight.
EPA, in coordination with Harris County Pollution Control and the PRP’s contractor conducted community air monitoring to assess potential impacts. EPA conducted community air monitoring for sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) using a ToxiRAE Pro. The action level for sulfur dioxide was 1.2 parts per million (ppm) for this incident. There were no community air monitoring readings above the action level.
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