ODESSA, Texas — The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has provided State Representative Brooks Landgraf with an update in regards to the tests being done at Permian Basin Containers in northwest Odessa, which was the site of a large fire on Tuesday, July 23.
According to Landgraf, TCEQ regional staff continued to conduct follow-up investigation work on Saturday, which included responses to complaints by nearby residents of the PBC fire site.
Landgraf stated in a Facebook post that a "chemical odor" has been detected at a runoff pond that has formed on the PBC site.
According to Landgraf, the remediation contractor, responsible for the odor, is expecting to have the runoff pond pumped out by the middle of next week (the week of July 29).
"Complaints about H2S leaking from the PBC site have been investigated, and readings from handheld air monitoring equipment did not detect the presence of H2S originating from the PBC site," Landgraf said.
Landgraf also stated that, "I have asked TCEQ specifically about testing for groundwater contamination as a result of the runoff, especially since most of the nearby residents rely on their own on-site wells for water."
Landgraf said he will be meeting with TCEQ's regional staff onsite no later than Monday, hopefully.