Discharge permit will add to degredation of air quality

Dear Editor,

I submitted this following public comment to the TCEQ today:

I am writing to express my opposition to the granting of an air quality permit (#154774) to Epic Piping for the purpose of being allowed to release contaminants into the atmosphere in connection with a surface coating facility to be located in San Marcos, Texas.

I raised a family in San Marcos but I recently moved to Canyon Lake. Nevertheless, I continue to work in San Marcos. One of the reasons I moved was because of the increasing congestion and poor air quality in San Marcos. When I first moved to San Marcos in 1979, and for many years thereafter, the air quality was excellent. However, the past few years I have often seen heavy smog and been exposed to far too many noxious odors, much of it coming from vehicle emissions. It’s bad enough that we have thousands of vehicles passing daily through San Marcos, on top of the heavy traffic that exists within the community because of general growth of this area and the growth of Texas State University. I have been very concerned about the effects of this polluted air upon the health of people who live and work in San Marcos. New industrial air pollution, releasing dangerous contaminants, will only make the situation worse. This kind of facility should not be located near a populated area.

The last few years I lived on the southeast side of San Marcos and would drive into the center of town from the east, along State Highway 123. From the top of the hill near Highway 123 and Redwood Road, looking toward the center of town — or even from Wonder World Drive, near the Central Texas Medical Center and looking west toward Interstate 35 and the growing are southwest of town — there have been many days that the pall of smog is absolutely depressing to witness.  

Stewart Dale Spencer

Canyon Lake