Kids Have Been Sick at School on Drilling Waste Site
11 hours ago
- #Texas-landfarm
- #environmental-contamination
- #real-estate-disclosure
- Joey Giminiani and other homeowners at Silo Mills in Texas discovered their neighborhood was built on a former oil and gas drilling waste landfarm, raising contamination concerns.
- Investigations in February 2024 revealed toxic and radioactive waste was historically buried at the site, leading to public uproar and government investigations, including testing by the developer.
- The developers, Terra Manna Homes and Prophet Equity, claimed extensive post-publication testing showed contamination levels below regulatory limits, but their methodology omitted key pollutants like PFAS and did not test soil under houses.
- Residents reported health issues, such as dizziness and headaches in children, which improved during school breaks, suggesting a link to the site, though no causal proof exists.
- Whistleblower Lee Oldham, a former landfarm worker, alleged radioactive waste burial and personal health effects, but the developers disputed his account and timeline.
- Historical environmental assessments for the site were criticized as insufficient, involving only walkabouts without soil testing, and past waste inspection records were reportedly lost.
- Legal and ethical debates ensued over disclosure requirements, with developers arguing no need to inform buyers, while residents and experts emphasized the right to know about potential hazards.
- Construction continues at Silo Mills, with new phases being built on areas where high concentrations of toxic waste were allegedly buried, despite ongoing community and governmental scrutiny.