HOUSTON — On Monday night, people waiting for money to move away from a former Fifth Ward railroad yard that used creosote linked to cancer clusters were able to question city leaders.
Unfortunately, many of their questions went unanswered.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Houston Health Department Director Stephen Williams, and representatives for both Mayor John Whitmire and the Environmental Protection Agency were at the meeting, which was held at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center.
It was a long meeting and a lot of residents expressed frustration with what was going on.
"The questions that we have, you can't answer them yet. So, it's really not enough in place, that's why I'm not taking relocation because you haven't shown me, like, what area I probably would be in if I move. Show me where I would be. Show me something. They can't do that because they haven't got to that point yet," resident Sandra Edwards said. "If you're going to get all these agreements for relocation, but you don't have nowhere for us to relocate yet, that's the confusing part that we're not understanding. That's not even, I'm not even gonna worry about it because I'm not even gonna take it."
City Council Member Tarsha Jackson, whose District B includes the impacted area, organized Monday's meeting.
“We get a chance to hear from residents on, do they want to relocate?” Jackson said. “What do they want to do to feel safe within their neighborhood?”
It was also a chance for Jackson to get answers.
“There’s no clear plan, but there’s a plan to create a plan, and so that’s what I want more information on,” she said.
Jackson said 41 families are eligible for the voluntary relocation program, for which City Council approved the first $5 million in September 2023.
Until the mid-1980s, a wood preservative called creosote, which the Environmental Protection Agency labels a probable carcinogen, was used to treat railroad ties at a railyard on Liberty Road.
In 2022, the Houston Health Department found highly toxic chemicals called dioxins in all 42 soil samples taken within a couple blocks of the railyard.
The Texas Department of State Health Services also detected two cancer clusters nearby, beginning in 2019.
Sandra Edwards, who grew up in a home across the street from the railyard and currently lives there, lost her father to cancer.
“I’ve been here for so long,” Edwards said. “The damage is done, and now we just need to figure out how to proceed from here.”
Edwards, who is eligible for the relocation program, wants to stay.
“It’s hard to walk away from something that’s a legacy for you and your family,” Edwards said.
Edwards said other neighbors are split on whether to leave or stay.
“There’s not a whole lot of people standing in line to want to relocate, and one of the main reasons is the lack of communication or the lack of explanation because they’re using terminology that people don’t know nothing about,” said Joetta Stevenson, President of Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood #55.
Jackson said officials at Monday’s meeting urged homeowners to let the EPA conduct soil testing on their property to gain a clearer picture of creosote contamination levels.
Houston City Council is in a 30-day waiting period until Whitmire can get answers on how the voluntary relocation program will work.
Another meeting will be held on Tuesday to vote to elect a community advisory group.
A spokesperson for Union Pacific, which now owns the railyard, emailed KHOU the following statement Monday afternoon:
"Union Pacific’s goal is to listen, maintain transparency and work collaboratively with the community, while keeping safety at the forefront of our actions. As part of this, we are committed to a science-driven approach to identifying and addressing the concerns surrounding the former Houston Wood Preserving Works site, which Union Pacific inherited from Southern Pacific in 1997.
"We are currently working to complete vapor testing and finalize additional soil testing in and around Fifth Ward. This additional testing will provide the data needed to make informed decisions about next steps."
Jackson said City Council will take up the relocation plan again at its Feb. 7 meeting.