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NPL Site Narrative for Many Diversified Interests, Inc.
MANY DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS, INC.
Houston, Texas
Federal Register Notice: January 19, 1999Conditions at Proposal (September 29, 1998): The Many Diversified Interests, Inc., (MDI) site is located approximately 1/4 mile south of Interstate Highway 10, and 2 miles east of downtown Houston, Texas. The city of Houston is located in the southeast portion of the state of Texas. Residential areas are adjacent to the east, west, and north sides of the site. Industrial areas are adjacent to the south side of the site.
Steel casting operations began at the site in 1926 under the company name Texas Electric Steel Casting Company (TESCO). Primary operations included manufacturing specialty molds and casting specialty steel parts. During the 1980s, a portion of the site was leased to Can-Am Resources Group (Can-Am) to operate a spent catalyst recycling operation. Can-Am reportedly purchased 4,236 drums of spent catalyst material from refineries and chemical plants, and stored the drums on the leased portion of the site. By 1988, the catalyst recycling operations ceased, and the stored drums were abandoned on site. In February 1991, TESCO ceased operations. MDI foreclosed on the site and later reopened as the San Jacinto Foundry (SJF), a subsidiary of MDI. MDI filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on May 20, 1992, and SJF ceased facility operations on approximately June 1, 1992.
Samples were collected by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in 1994. These samples revealed elevated concentrations of arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, and nickel in the drum storage areas and an on-site landfill. In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a Removal Assessment, and collected soil samples from the facility property and residential areas. Analytical results of soil samples from the facility revealed elevated concentrations of arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, and nickel. Analytical results of the residential soil samples revealed elevated concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and nickel.
Three sources are associated with the site: a drum storage area, a landfill, and an area of contaminated soil. In the north and south drum storage areas, 5,355 drums are reported to contain spent catalyst from chemical companies and refineries. The drums are deteriorating and leaking; in the landfill located in the southern portion of the site, the landfill reportedly received inorganic slag and foundry sand; and approximately 41 acres of contaminated soil are located within the MDI property boundary and contaminated soil at nearby residences. Sixty-four residences have been documented to contain contaminated soil.
Status (January 1999): EPA considering various alternatives for the site.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.