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CORRECTION: The previous statement included an incorrect address. The property is on the 9500 block of S. Central Expressway, not the 9000 block.
As a result of the City’s lawsuit, one of the properties has been cleaned up by the property owner, Almira Industrial and Trading Corp. On the second southernmost property, the former business owner, Blue Star Recycling, remains in contempt of the court’s order to remove all shingle material from the property. The City requested that the court order the property owner to remove all shingle material. However, the court has not yet ruled on that request. Since the court hearing, the State intervened in the lawsuit on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The City has aggressively enforced against all responsible parties, including owners and operators, and continues to seek rapid removal and disposal of all remaining materials. We stand behind Ms. Marsha Jackson and all other Dallas residents seeking to ensure compliance with laws and regulations intended to protect human health and the environment.
For the second southernmost property, the property owner has taken the following remedial actions: 1) In March, it began moving shingle material to a site in Navarro County. However, the site where the materials were being relocated had not been approved by TCEQ. The site owner is working with TCEQ to obtain the necessary approvals to continue the removal; 2) In May, the property owner hired a contractor to implement stormwater protection measures and remove 11 dump truck loads of raw asphalt shingles to the McCommas Bluff landfill - the removal is ongoing; and 3) On June 8, 2020, the property owner requested approval from the City and the State to remove approximately 1,000 – 2,000 cubic yards of recycled asphalt shingle material to cover existing base material for a 2-acre parking lot at a facility in Southeast Dallas. The City has sampled and tested the shingle material and ensured that it is not an asbestos-containing material and can be appropriately disposed of as municipal solid waste at McCommas Bluff or another landfill.
In the meantime, the City has put the property owner on notice that the City may remove the materials and place a lien on the property for its costs. During the current budgetary process, the City is exploring funding options related to such a removal process to ensure cleanup and hold the owners/operators responsible while minimizing potential impact on Dallas taxpayers.
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