Arkema settles $1.1M lawsuit with Harris Co. over chemical plant fire 7 years after Harvey

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's been seven years since Hurricane Harvey hit southeast Texas, but it's taken that long for one of the storm's biggest stories to finally get settled in court.

The burning of organic peroxide at the Arkema plant in Crosby led to evacuations, hospitalizations, and years of litigation when Harvey struck the area in August 2017.

That peroxide, which has to stay cold, burned after flood waters caused the plant to lose power.

ABC13 news director Keaton Fox has covered the story extensively through the years.

"There was a lot of concern about what got into groundwater at the time," Fox said. "There were also 21 people taken to hospitals, including first responders."

There were also more than 200 residents who had to evacuate as a result of the burning chemicals.

Criminal charges were filed as a result of Arkema's handling of the situation, but no convictions ever occurred.

That being said, there has been a settlement reached this month between Arkema, Harris County, and the state of Texas.

"I think the message this settlement sends is the Harris County Attorney's Office will come after you if you're doing business and haven't complied with the law," Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said.

The settlement requires Arkema to pay $1.1 million to Harris County.

They also have to pay the state of Texas $1 million for violating environmental laws.

Arkema must alert the public sooner in the event of an emergency as a result of this settlement, in addition to making changes meant to protect the facility from future floods.

Arkema sent the following statement to ABC13 on Friday afternoon:

"Arkema has worked cooperatively with Harris County and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to reach an agreed final judgement in an enforcement action brought by Harris County and the TCEQ. This enforcement action was focused on the unpermitted release of materials after Hurricane Harvey buried Arkema's site in Crosby, Texas under more than six feet of water. This 5,000 to 20,000 year storm, which overwhelmed virtually every organization across Harris County, resulted in the combustion of products that need refrigeration to remain stable. We are pleased to put this action behind us."

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