The latest addition to the growing collection of signage at the Westview Dr. crossing of Spring Branch: a shiny new stick-in-your-yard-style biohazard warning sign, one of a number that popped up over the weekend along stretches of the creek that got the full vermillion treatment after last week’s chemical-fueled warehouse fire about a mile upstream. The newcomer joins the inveterate kiddo-crossing and school-zone signs tipping off drivers to the proximity of both Moritz Pech Family Park and Valley Oaks Elementary School, along with a Keep Spring Branch Clean & Green! anti-litter placard and a vintage No Dumping $200 Fine.
Other indicators of last week’s spill include the multi-colored booms still strung across the waterway (shown here looking south):
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Similar booms are currently hanging out around the crossing of Spring Branch under I-10:Â
And here’s a shot of the water north of the I-10 feeder — not just-killed-a-guy red, but still showing some dark patches:Â
The frontage sidewalk gets its own biohazard signs too — here’s a shot looking east from near Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, across Chimney Rock Rd. toward the Shoppes at Memorial Village strip center:
The city of Spring Valley Village says the waterway is being prepared to flush out remaining contaminants, and is asking its residents to please stay away from the water (no matter what else you’ve read on the Internet) while all those environmental test results are pending. Folks are also advised to get in touch with Texas Parks and Wildlife if more dead or live animals are found in contaminated areas, and NOT to pick up any critters.
- CAUTION BIOHAZARD – Stay Clear of Spring Branch Creek [City of Spring Valley Village]
- Warehouse Fire Runoff Devastates Spring Branch Creek Wildlife [abc13]
- Previously on Swamplot: Good Thing Spring Branch Had All That Flooding Last Month; That Blood Red Stuff in the Bayou May Not Be Spring Branch’s Biggest Problem Right Now; What’s On Fire in Spring Branch This Morning And Who the City Says Should Worry About It
Photos: Swamplot
That “boom” looks like a joke.
OK, but why the biohazard signs?
And. . . we STILL don’t know what leaked — even though it is clear that the company knows what they were packaging.
WHAT THE F***?
And, yes, the booms are a joke.
I don’t see why those booms would be a joke. Booms don’t have to be big to do the job right, especially in slow moving water like this. They just need to trap the top level, which may only be 1mm thick.
I believe some of the chemicals were water-soluble so a surface boom would not be helpful.