ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

Aquatic Life Obliterated After Samsung Dumps Sulfuric Acid in Texas Tributary

Officials in Austin said 763,000 gallons of acid spilled into the river over 106 days.

A staggering 763,000 gallons of sulfuric acid waste from a Samsung facility in Austin has leaked into a tributary of Harris Branch Creek, according to a City of Austin memo, obliterating all of the tributary’s aquatic life. The city was notified of the discharge by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Jan. 18, four days after Samsung claims it discovered that wastewater was entering its stormwater pond. Officials say the sulfuric acid could have been spilling into the creek for 106 days. Samsung said the facility “immediately stopped release” and “took action to implement a solution to minimize impact to the environment and restore the tributary.” The city said it’s too soon to know the long term effects but the spill “had a significant short-term impact on the aquatic community and the ecology of the tributary.” So far, pH levels have come back normal and the main branch of Harris Branch Creek appeared unscathed.