HOUSTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says $97 million will be spent to remove material along the San Jacinto River east of Houston that's contaminated with toxic chemicals from a former paper mill.
The EPA said in a statement Wednesday the remediation at the Superfund site will include spending $87 million to remove soil, sediment and other material from about 14 acres just north of Interstate 10. Another $10 million will be spent on removals from about 20 acres south of the interstate.
Officials say the disposal sites were built in the 1960s and contain material contaminated with dioxins, which in people can cause cancer, reproductive problems, skin disease and changes in hormone levels.
The agency will accept public comments on the plan for the next two months.