Jackie Medcalf grew up in Atascocita playing on the banks of the San Jacinto River. By the time she moved to East Harris County’s Highlands community in 2003, she and several of her neighbors were suffering from health conditions they attributed to toxic waste pits in the river.

So it was a long time coming when the Environmental Protection Agency approved last week a much-anticipated cleanup plan for the San Jacinto River Toxic Waste Pits Superfund Site, imposing 40 new conditions on “responsible parties” International Paper Company and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp., mandating that any changes to the plan must be approved by the EPA.

The site near Interstate 10 is so contaminated that it was designated a “superfund” hazardous waste disposal site, meaning it has severe soil and

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