Background

The 3.3-acre Highland Acid Pit site is located in Highlands in Harris County, Texas, on a peninsula in the San Jacinto River 10-year floodplain. Early in the 1950s, the area received an unknown quantity of industrial waste sludge, believed to be spent sulfuric acid, from oil and gas refining processes. The waste disposal activities contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities and monitoring are ongoing.