1. Risk Assessment for Hazardous Waste in Palestine, TX

2. Objectives Identify the hazardous waste sites and handlers in Palestine, TX Discuss the Hazardous Waste Sites’ proximity to schools Discuss the major risks that could lead to release of hazardous substances Discuss steps that can be taken to reduce risk

3. Methodology Analyze data from the Forest Research Institute Create maps based on data Analyze risks and emergency response plans in place for Palestine, TX

4. Economy of Palestine Agriculture –Cattle –Hogs –Vegetables –Hay Manufacturing Mineral Production Tourism

5. 20 Waste Sites Releases from: Wal-Mart Animal Processing Plants Deep Well Injection Construction Work Power Plants Missouri Pacific Rail Balloon Base Texaco TX Dept. of Criminal Justice

6. Children are a very sensitive population 75% of schools in Palestine within 1 mile of a hazardous waste handler A plan is needed to protect the schools in case of a hazardous release

7. Largest Risks to Waste Sites Tornados 30 tornados in the past 45 years Nov. 15, 1987 F3 tornado Destroys 128 homes Destroys 86 businesses Heavily damaged the city’s industrial park. Estimated cost - $15 million Thunderstorm Wind Events Storm that produces winds of 50 + knots (57.6 mph) Average of 7.1 events over the past decade $940,000 of property damage

8. Flooding 11 sites in 100 year floodplain 19 recorded flood events from 1994 – 2001 Oct. 8, 1994 a flash flood washes out several roads and causes $50,000 worth of damage

9. Hydrology All hazardous waste sites in Palestine are located on top of a major aquifer

10. Conclusions Highest risk of hazardous waste release come from natural events (flooding, tornados) Hazardous waste release emergency response plan should be drafted to deal with each cause of release Parents should be informed of the hazardous waste sites and the types of waste being handled near schools Evacuation plans should be implemented in schools in case of a hazardous waste release Cleanup/Mitigation plans should be made by the city Palestine has allotted $5.6 million in this year’s budget for municipal and wastewater facility improvement, but none for hazardous waste