EPA orders cleanup of San Jacinto River waste pits after state found cancer cluster last year

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly two decades ago, the San Jacinto River Waste Pits were designated as a heavily contaminated area.

The Environmental Protection Agency said that in the mid-1960s, waste pits were carved into the watershed and filled with hazardous material from nearby paper mills.

Just last year, state health officials identified a cancer cluster in communities surrounding the river.

READ MORE: Local advocates bring renewed attention to cancer cluster around San Jacinto waste pits

"We've lost children. We've lost both of her brothers. We've lost my oldest son. We've lost my youngest son's father-in-law. My neighbors have brain cancer," longtime resident near the site, Gene Hennigan, said.

Hennigan said countless family members have died of cancer over the years. He said they've grown up and lived near the waste pits.

"My oldest son, Jeff, who swam and fished and played in these waters with other friends from the neighborhood, died of cancer three years ago," Hennigan said.

In 2017, the EPA approved a cleanup plan to address contamination at the site.

"Here we are nine years later, there's nothing been done," Hennigan said. "While people keep talking, we keep dying."

This past April, the EPA issued a new order.

It required International Paper and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation to remove more than 230,000 cubic yards of toxic waste and meet safety standards.

It also said any violation or refusal to comply could lead to civil penalties of more than $71,000 per violation per day.

The two companies involved sent a joint statement to ABC13 saying they received the order and "are currently reviewing the details of the document in their entirety. We have cooperated with the EPA's process and will continue to do so for the San Jacinto site."

SEE ALSO: Pockets of east Harris County show higher cancer rates than other areas, new report highlights

The order does not clearly provide a timeline for the cleanup process.

ABC13 reached out to the EPA to ask when the cleanup would start and why it had taken so long to get here. The agency said it is working on sending a statement, but ABC13 has not received it yet.

Hennigan is ultimately left trying to hold out hope.

"We have to be skeptical because, like I said, for all these years, we just hear them talking," Hennigan said. "Responsible parties do what they need to do to get this done in a timely manner."