The Alcoa Point Comfort facility in Calhoun County, Texas ran as an aluminum smelter and bauxite refinery from 1948 until smelting ended in 1980. A chlor-alkali plant on the same property discharged mercury and other contaminants into Lavaca Bay between 1966 and 1979. The site was listed on the National Priorities List in 1994 and has one operable unit covering the sitewide area.
Mercury is the primary contaminant of concern, found in soil, sediment, and bay waters. Several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, and others, are present in soil, sediment, and other media across the site. The greatest health risk at the site comes from eating contaminated fish and shellfish. Texas closed about one square mile of Lavaca Bay to fishing in 1988. A portion of that closure reopened in 2000 as mercury levels dropped, but part of the bay remains closed.
EPA signed the cleanup plan in December 2001. The remedy included pumping and treating contaminated groundwater, removing mercury-laden sediment, capping disposal areas, and long-term monitoring of fish and shellfish. All required construction finished in July 2007. The groundwater recovery system is effectively reducing mercury movement toward the bay. Juvenile blue crab sampling shows declining mercury levels, a positive sign. Red drum fish in the closed area, however, still show elevated mercury levels and have not followed the same recovery trend. The site reached sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in March 2020. EPA confirms that human exposure to contaminants is currently under control across the entire site, and contaminated groundwater is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water.
The site is now in its fourth Five-Year Review cycle, scheduled for completion in August 2026. A 2016 review found the remedy protective in the short term but could not confirm long-term protectiveness until more studies are done. At EPA's request, Alcoa submitted a work plan in October 2024 to study mercury methylation and water movement in the bay, which will inform the fourth review. Alcoa submits annual effectiveness reports to EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to track progress.
Community members can learn more by attending EPA-hosted meetings, such as the December 2025 public meeting held in Port Lavaca, or by reviewing documents at the Calhoun County Public Library at 200 West Mahan in Port Lavaca.
