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Houston Public Works presents municipal setting designation request for former Ultrafine Cleaners site on Westheimer Road
Summary
Houston Public Works presented a Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) application for contamination beneath the Village Shops at 12280–12288 Westheimer Road; city staff said monitoring shows a shrinking perchloroethylene plume and the owner plans to pursue TCEQ voluntary cleanup (VCP #3031).
Houston Public Works staff presented a Municipal Setting Designation application to the Quality of Life Committee for property beneath the Village Shops at 12280–12288 Westheimer Road.
Cassandra Walker, administration manager with Houston Public Works, said the MSD process certifies that groundwater beneath a property is contaminated and should not be used for potable purposes; the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) administers MSDs and requires a local public hearing as part of the process. “A municipal setting designation is an official designation that certifies the property's groundwater is contaminated and should not be used as potable water now or in the future,” Walker said.
Walker described the site as lying beneath and immediately downgradient from the former Ultrafine Cleaners lease space in the Village Shops shopping center. She said historical records indicate the cleaner used chlorinated dry‑cleaning solvent beginning in the mid‑1980s, then switched to a petroleum‑based solvent (DF‑2000) by February 2004; Ultrafine Cleaners vacated the space in December 2020.
According to the presentation, six monitoring wells delineate an affected groundwater area and show the plume is stable or decreasing in concentration and extent. Soil samples from borings did not identify volatile organic compounds above screening levels of concern, and sub‑slab soil gas samples beneath the former lease space did not contain chlorinated VOCs above EPA vapor intrusion screening levels cited in the presentation.
Walker said the applicant’s plan within the MSD boundary is to seek regulatory closure through the TCEQ voluntary cleanup program (VCP number 3031). If the City approves an MSD ordinance, the city will submit the MSD application to TCEQ for its review and comment; approval by TCEQ and the recording of the MSD on the property deed are separate steps in state oversight.
The presenter stressed that MSDs do not affect public water supplied by the city and are intended to protect the public by prohibiting use of contaminated groundwater for potable purposes. Walker also noted typical groundwater evaluated by MSDs is 20 to 60 feet below surface while municipal drinking water supplies are generally drawn from much deeper aquifers (the presentation stated drinking wells are typically 600 feet or more deep).
Arun Nupane, the senior scientist for the applicant, was on hand to answer technical questions; no committee questions were recorded in the queue during the meeting. Walker told the committee hard copies of the application are available for review at the Robinson Westchase Neighborhood Library and that additional information is posted online through Houston Public Works resources.
No vote or formal committee action on the MSD was recorded at the meeting; the presentation was informational and will be followed by the city’s standard review process and a subsequent TCEQ review if the MSD ordinance is approved by the city.
