Watershed reached in history of Mission toxic waste site

MISSION - Thousands of pounds of dirt and concrete have been trucked off the lot, some sent to a Donna landfill, some to an incinerator.

Gone is the former Hayes-Sammons chemical mixing facility and the 2 feet of topsoil beneath the building that contained toxic Heptachor and Toxaphene.

And soon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be gone from the site, too.

EPA site administrator Bill Rhotenberry said Wednesday that the agency is set to have a public meeting in late April to discuss the cleanup, the last step in the process.

The exact date for the meeting has not been scheduled.

The old pesticide plant has been blamed for toxic chemicals in the soil and illnesses suffered by residents of the surrounding south Mission neighborhood. Previous EPA efforts didn't remove all the contaminated soil.

Roque Duran, one of the neighborhood advocates who have watched the lot for years, said he is thankful for the EPA's efforts but doesn't trust that the site will ever be safe for commercial or industrial use.

"I'm worried about rain bringing up deep-down chemicals," he said.

Rhotenberry said the site is clean and can be used for anything, except as a residential area.

But one burden the agency could not remove was the multimillion-dollar lien placed on the property for the cost of the cleanup.

City leaders say they have considered taking over the lot, and Duran is hopeful the local government can be forgiven the price of the cleanup.

He said he wants a monument to those who have died of cancer or other diseases linked to the chemicals.

He would surround it with oak trees and other vegetation - fenced off, so no one has to step directly on the ground, he said.
____

Sara Perkins covers Mission, western Hidalgo County, Starr County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4472.