HomeMy WebLinkAboutBAO 4-25-2024 Page 5 THE BAY AREA OBSERVER | THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 | P5
LEGAL NOTICES
Notice of Proposed Project of theLa Porte Development Corporation Board (Type B Corporation)
Project for New or Expanded Business Enterprise at 902 S. 1st Street, La Porte, Texas: Pursuant to Texas Local Government Code Section 505.160 notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the La Porte Development Corporation (Type B Corporation) of the City of La Porte, Texas, has proposed an official project and is considering granting an incentive to an eligible business enterprise in an amount not to exceed $77,484.00. The purpose of the project is to promote and develop new or expanded business enterprises, specifically for site, infrastructure, and related improvements, as authorized by Texas LocalGovernment Code Section 501.103, for real property located at 902 S. 1st Street, which lo-cation is legally described as Lots 28 through 32, Block 158, Town of La Porte Subdivision.
In accordance with Texas Local Government Code 505.160 the public has a right to gather a petition to object to the proposed project by requiring an election. The petition must re-quest that an election be held before the project is undertaken and must be signed by more than ten percent (10%) of the registered voters of the City of La Porte. The petition must be received by the City of La Porte not later than the sixtieth (60th) day after the publication of this notice.
Please reach out to Haley Bowers, Economic Development Manager at BowersH@laportetx.gov, or 281- 470-5016 with any questions or comments you may have.
Notice of Proposed Project of theLa Porte Development Corporation Board (Type B Corporation)
Project for New or Expanded Business Enterprise at 228 W. Main Street, La Porte, Texas: Pursuant to Texas Local Government Code Section 505.160 notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the La Porte Development Corporation (Type B Corporation) of the City of La Porte, Texas, has proposed an official project and is considering granting an incentive to an eligible business enterprise in an amount not to exceed $138,510.00. The purpose of the project is to promote and develop new or expanded business enterprises, specifically for site, infrastructure, and related improvements, as authorized by Texas LocalGovernment Code Section 501.103, for real property located at 228 West Main Street, which location is legally described as Lots 11 & 12, Block 59, Town of La Porte Subdivision.
In accordance with Texas Local Government Code 505.160 the public has a right to gather a petition to object to the proposed project by requiring an election. The petition must re-quest that an election be held before the project is undertaken and must be signed by more than ten percent (10%) of the registered voters of the City of La Porte. The petition must be received by the City of La Porte not later than the sixtieth (60th) day after the publication of this notice.
Please reach out to Haley Bowers, Economic Development Manager at BowersH@laportetx.gov, or 281-470-5016 with any questions or comments you may have.
What you need to know about
toxic “forever chemicals”
the EPA is restricting
The EPA recently set new limits on the tox-ic chemicals used to make everything from nonstick pans to firefighting foam. Here’s how to protect yourself and your family.
By Alejandra MartinezTexas Tribune
Nearly 50 public water systems across Tex-as have reported exceeding the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency’s first-ever limits on toxic chemicals in drinking water known as PFAS.
The EPA released the new standards earlier this month, aimed at reducing five individ-ual “forever chemicals.” These chemicals are used to make nonstick cookware, stain and water repellent clothing and firefighting foam. They have also been linked to certain types of cancer, birth defects, damage to the liver and immune system. Public water sys-tems will need to regularly monitor, detect and remove PFAS from drinking water, ac-cording to the EPA’s new guidelines.
Here’s what you need to know about the forever chemicals:
What are PFAS?
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, belong to a family of chemicals used to make products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. They have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1940s. They’ve earned the name “forever chemicals,” because they don’t break down and can persist in water and soil indefinitely.
Some estimates list more than 12,000 types of individual PFAS. The EPA says this makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks.
Where have PFAS been detected?
Tests have found PFAS in the blood of people and animals all over the world, ac-cording to the EPA. The agency said most people in the U.S. have been exposed to some PFAS by touching, drinking, eating, or breathing in materials containing the chemi-cals, including nonstick cookware and some cleaning products.
They have been found in public drinking water systems and private drinking water wells, at landfills, disposal sites, and hazard-ous waste sites. They are also found in fish caught from water contaminated by PFAS and dairy products from livestock exposed to PFAS.
How do I know if my water is contam-inated with PFAS?
According to a 2023 study by the U.S. Geo-logical Survey, at least 45% of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of PFAS.
If you get your water from a public drinking water system, reach out to your local wa-ter utility and ask them to test the water for PFAS, said Treavor H. Boyer, a professor of engineering at Arizona State University.
More than 400 public water systems have tested for PFAS and more than 100 have found some level of PFAS in their water, including nearly 50 that found levels above the EPA’s new limits. Many public water systems have not been tested yet. Under the new EPA standards, they will be required to complete their initial testing for these chem-icals within three years and share the results with the public.
If your local water system has tested for PFAS, ask for the results and how they may be addressing PFAS in drinking water.
How do PFAS get in drinking water?
Boyer, who researches technologies to re-move these chemicals from water, said a major source of PFAS contamination is fire training and response because PFAS is found in firefighting foam.
“Unfortunately there wasn’t any thought before that [PFAS] would run off the pave-ment, and work through the soil, and even-tually go to groundwater,” Boyer said.
“There’s probably locations where it runs into lakes and rivers too.”
He said another big major source of PFAS contamination are chemical manufacturers discharging it into water sources and prod-ucts that contain PFAS — such as nonstick cookware and stain-resistant carpeting — ending up in landfills.
What are the health risks of PFAS?
According to the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ex-posure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure when pregnant. It can also lead to developmental effects such as low birth weight, accelerated puberty or behavioral changes. PFAS has also been linked to in-creased cholesterol and obesity and to cer-tain types of cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
Research is still ongoing by scientists at EPA, ATSDR and around the world to bet-ter understand the potential health effects of PFAS exposure over long periods of time. EPA is also studying the health effects asso-ciated with low levels of exposure over long periods of time in children.
How do I reduce exposure to PFAS?
Boyer said the first step is educating your-self on which products are made with PFAS. His tips also include avoiding non-stick cookware. Most non-stick products contain PFAS. Try stainless steel or a cast iron in-stead.
“Any type of nonstick or stain repellent type product, a consumer should scrutinize it,” Boyer said.
The Green Science Policy Institute and the Social Science Environmental Health Re-search Institute at Northeastern University recommends buying PFAS-free products. They have a list of PFAS-free products that includes apparel, shoes, cosmetics, baby products and others.
How can PFAS be removed from drinking water?
If you’re concerned about PFAS in your drinking water, consider installing in-home water treatment filters where the main water line enters the home.
EPA researchers are studying the effective-ness of household water filters, but has iden-tified three technologies to remove certain PFAS from at home drinking water:
Activated carbon absorption: using carbon to attract and trap the PFAS for removal
Reverse osmosis: purifying water by using pressure to force water through an extreme-ly thin barrier that separates chemicals from the water
Ion exchange: tiny beads that act like pow-erful magnets to attract and hold the con-taminated materials from passing through the water system.
You can also try water pitchers with fil-ters. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group published a study last year that identi-fied four water pitcher filters that can remove certain PFAS by nearly 100%. That list in-cludes: Travel Berkey, Zero Water, Clearly Filtered and Epic Water Filter. The price of the water filters range from $20 to $330 and EWG has a guide on the pros and cons of each in-home water filtration system.
Be aware when looking for home filters. A filter may list claims for PFAS reduction on its outer packaging, but may not actually work. The EPA has tips for checking the certification of water filtration systems.
“The best advice is to make sure you pull a filter out of these certified lists, because then you know it has undergone a degree testing,” said Jennifer Guelf, an assistant professor at Texas Tech University who has researched PFAS remediation in drinking water systems for 15 years.
“PFAS is a huge class of contaminants. We can not say with a degree of certainty that these water filters remove all PFAS, but they are precautionary and people’s best bet.”
3M’s Cordova chemical plant in Illinois on the Mississippi River on Dec. 7, 2022. The company said it will stop making PFAS chemicals in 2025. Credit: E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS/ABACA via Reuters Connect