A Port Arthur resident told the City Council on May 20 that temporary diesel-powered pumps used for a drainage-construction project next to his trailer have repeatedly run overnight and have blown diesel exhaust onto his property.

Walter Jackson, who gave his address for the record, said the pumps have run at many hours (he provided a written log of dates and times), that diesel odors have infiltrated his home and that family members returned from out-of-town because they could not stay in the house. “The pumps come on every 15 to 20 minutes,” Jackson said. He described tracking pump activity across late-night and early-morning hours and said the fumes make him and his father uncomfortable and cause burning eyes.

Council members and staff inspected the location earlier in the day. Councilman Colquay Doucette, who visited the site with staff, described the installation as an outfall pump set used to dewater a construction pond associated with drainage improvements. City staff and the contractor said the pumps are temporary and part of a drainage-improvement construction project; a staff member (Mr. Flood) told the council the contractor uses diesel pumps and that the work is expected to continue while side-streets and trunk-line pipe installation proceeds, with temporary pumps anticipated to be removed by August.

“Those pumps are diesel pumps. It is not coming from those pumps,” a staff speaker said, explaining that some odors appeared to originate from a tank farm near the site rather than the pump exhaust. City staff committed to further investigation: they will coordinate with the contractor, run a scheduled, observable test of the pumps so council members can hear and smell the equipment on-site, and return the matter for discussion at a follow-up meeting. Staff also said they will document times and run a “mock run” the next time council members can attend.

The council directed staff to set a coordinated site visit and to report back with a recommended remedy if the pump operation or contractor practices are violating city noise, air-quality or construction permits. Council members also encouraged the resident to continue submitting logs of pump activity and to work with staff to document health impacts.

Ending — what the transcript shows: City staff and the contractor characterized the pumps as temporary and part of drainage construction; staff agreed to an on-site, scheduled demonstration and to follow up with recommendations and possible further remedies at the next council meeting. Council members emphasized the need to verify the source of fumes and to balance construction progress against neighborhood impacts.