“We knew we something was wrong, we just couldn’t prove it,” Edwards said. “Now that the proof is in the pudding, what’s next?”
For decades, residents in this northeast Houston neighborhood have been living in what the city has designated a “cancer cluster.” City officials say the neighborhood lives on a creosote plume caused by the Houston Wood Preserving Works site previously owned by Southern Pacific and taken over by Union Pacific Railroad in 1997.
Union Pacific now has the responsibility of cleaning up a neighborhood still living in fear.
Fifth Ward neighborhood. (Spectrum News 1/Dylan Scott)
“We have to worry out here. Why do they say the water isn’t contaminated? My body says differently,” Edwards said.
Unknown danger and mounting public pressure has pushed Union Pacific, under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance, to perform necessary risk assessments surrounding hundreds of homes, parks and other public areas around the rail yard. Those include a vapor intrusion investigation for water quality and now soil sampling for the presence of 41 creosote-related chemicals, several known to cause cancer.
“Union Pacific cares about the community and families. We are a good neighbor and want to be,” Kevin Peterburs, senior manager for environmental site remediation, said. “All of the efforts as a part of this assessment will help guide decision making.”
Several civil lawsuits have already been filled and are in litigation. In addition, once the results of ongoing tests are made available in a detailed report later this year or early in 2025, conversations will follow.
Those talks will include a possible comprehensive cleanup plan, the city’s initiative to move interested residents to another area and policymakers demands for health care assistance for those impacted.
“If you stay there, if you build there, are you going to die?” Houston City Council Member Leticia Plummer said. “That’s the No. 1 question. If you’re already sick, how do we as a community support you and make sure you get the care that you need? And then when this is all over, how do we bring the fifth ward back?”
The reality for many advocates, such as Edwards, who has mounting health concerns and lost her father to cancer, is proving who, if anyone, is responsible for the deaths in this community. That’s a fight which could last decades.
However, the Houstonian will continue to stand for the rights of a historic neighborhood her family has called home for 100 years.
Sandra Edwards’ family home. (Spectrum News 1/Dylan Scott)
“We didn’t know no better that we were being contaminated,” Edwards said. “All the good stuff is left right here. This is where our memories are. I have grandkids. I want them to play in this yard.”
