Status Update 1: We, Lab 1 Group 1, are doing our research project over Superfund sites. Superfund sites are areas where chemicals are left exposed in the open without proper management. We have gathered information from two sites here in Harris County, the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site on the western bank of the San Jacinto River, north of Interstate 10, bridge over the San Jacinto River and Jones Road that is located in the Jersey Village area which are both in the Harris County Area. Also we have had some group challenges but we have been able to work together to overcome them.

  The San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site was created in the 1960s by liquid and solid Paper Mill waste via impoundments, solid bodies of something in body of water that holds waste. The chemicals deposited in the banks of the San Jacinto River impoundments are very toxic to the wildlife and human population of the surrounding area. The toxic chemicals that are present in the area are polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxins) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (furans). These chemicals are categorized as persistent environmental pollutants, POPs, and they can cause  reproductive & developmental problems, damages immune system, hormone interference, and several types of cancers.

  The Jones Road Superfund site is located in the Jersey Village area, in Harris County. The pollutants there, have gone into the water table and this has been affecting the small population of the area.

  For the Superfund sites, we are looking into how the sites are causing health issues in the community, how in certain areas other contaminants may be the cause for the health issues, and the difference between sites that are either in highly populated areas and not as heavily populated areas. Also, we have also found some shape files for example, we found Texas and the locations of the sites and one that covers the Harris County area where there is low income families and the close proximity of superfund site in those areas. We have also found data on cancer rates, deformation on the wildlife in the San Jacinto river sites, and information on other damages to the surrounding community.

  For the creation and coming together of the project has been a up and down trip. All of our schedules are different that interferes with us coming together as a whole group to work on the project at the same time. Some of us have been been able to meet-up in person but most of our work has been made on our own time that we are free. Another thing that has changed in the group is that we lost on of our original members, they dropped the class due to having too much on his plate. I believe that they had eighteen hours of upper class classes that were eating them away. We have also gained two new members due to their whole team dropping the class. We have put them up to speed of what our project consists of and what we have so far. On of our members, Amy Claxton, has created an outline of the best and most effective way that we can work on the project to have different sites thus every member of the group will be involved and take part of the creation of the website and the visual representation we have to showcase in class.