In 2023, Union Pacific and other key local stakeholders asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oversee the most extensive environmental sampling and testing initiative ever conducted in Houston’s Fifth Ward. This effort continued decades of monitoring and remediation.
Test results have consistently shown no immediate risk to human health. With the data now in hand, a comprehensive Health Risk Assessment is underway and expected to be released in 2026.
Milestone environmental testing
More than 150 properties were part of the sampling process, with locations including residential properties, schools, parks and other well populated areas across five geographic zones. Throughout the process, soil, groundwater and soil gas tests were collected under the approved methodologies of the EPA. Once collected, samples were analyzed by independent laboratories and results were validated by the EPA.
What the data shows
Data was evaluated using conservative EPA screening levels and test results identified no immediate health risk.
Built on decades of remediation and oversight
This testing effort builds on nearly three decades of environmental work that has occurred since Union Pacific inherited the former Houston Wood Preserving Works (HWPW) site in 1997.
Over that time, engineered barrier caps have contained and sealed more than 11,000 tons of creosote-impacted soil onsite. Ongoing groundwater monitoring through an extensive well network and vapor intrusion studies consistently show no possible pathways for contaminants to reach nearby residents.
What comes next for property owners
Results from the testing phase were shared directly and privately with participating property owners, providing transparency while respecting individual privacy. The data is now being used to complete a Health Risk Assessment, a scientific evaluation designed to determine if there are any long- term health concerns and guide any future actions.