Dioxin in the Ship Channel

The state of Texas currently requires water quality in various parts of the Houston Ship Channel and Upper Galveston Bay to be suitable for contact and non-contact recreation, fishing, navigation, industrial water supply, and aquatic life; however, not all of these segments are required to support all of these uses.

Fishing is not supported in the area as a result of a seafood consumption advisory for catfish and blue crab initially issued September 1990, and continued after a 1997 reevaluation, by the Texas Department of Health. The advisory was issued to protect consumers from adverse health effects caused by dioxin found in specimens analyzed from the area. Dioxin is a generic term for a suite of toxic and environmentally persistent compounds.

In response to these conditions, a total maximum daily load (TMDL) project has been initiated to determine the measures necessary to restore water quality water bodies affected by the consumption advisory in the Houston Ship Channel and Upper Galveston Bay.