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The mood in Somerville has taken a distinct turn since the Houston Press published its special report "Toxic Town" (December 6, 2007), and attorneys get ready to try their first case.

Hundreds of Somerville residents are suing the current and former owners of a century-old wood-treatment plant set along the town's northern edge, alleging that toxic emissions spewed from the facility for decades had poisoned the community and caused a massive cluster of deadly cancers and debilitating birth defects.

Dr. James Dahlgren, a nationally known toxicologist and professor at UCLA School of Medicine hired by the plaintiff attorneys, has called the situation in Somerville a public-health emergency. Based on grossly elevated levels of carcinogens found within the last year in several area homes and school buildings, Dahlgren has advised immediately shutting down the schools and evacuating all 1,700 residents in the small town located 90 miles northwest of Houston.

In the last three weeks since our story ran, the following has occurred:

• Koppers Inc., the current owner of the railroad-tie plant, sent a corporate representative to Somerville to dismiss the allegations made in lawsuits and media reports during a companywide meeting. The publicly traded, Pittsburgh-based corporation also hired a media consultant specifically to handle inquiries related to the Somerville facility.

• Dahlgren abruptly halted his months-long epidemiological study in Somerville due to complaints that residents and business owners in the town had become increasingly hostile to students going door-to-door with health surveys.

• Somerville's mayor ended his years-long silence about the plant and its emissions by granting the Press his first-ever on-the-record interview on the public-health issues facing his community.

• The Somerville Independent School District authorized "independent" testing in several school buildings where astronomical levels of contamination had been found, but even the environmental scientist from Texas A&M University who took the new samples admits they won't settle anything.
_____________________

Somerville Mayor Tommy Thompson is a bowling ball of a guy: bald and ­barrel-chested. Covered in faded tattoos, the knuckles on his left hand spell out the word 'L-O-V-E.' He rides a custom-built motorcycle and co-owns an entertainment company that hosts a popular motorcycle rally held annually in rural Burleson County.

"I've been a biker all my life," says Thompson, a 57-year-old Arkansas native who followed the oil boom to Corpus Christi then to Somerville 18 years ago.

On many afternoons, Thompson can be found dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, slurping coffee and chain-smoking cigarettes with friends in Mama's Kitchen, a no-nonsense, home-style restaurant he owns with his wife.

Though Thompson ran unopposed in last year's election, his support appears to be slipping.

For years, Thompson avoided any dis­cussion about the environmental and ­public-health issues in Somerville. His first public comment appeared in a December 12 post on the Houston Press Web site in response to our story.

"Is our City contaminated?" he asked. "The only contamination that I can be certain of are those of the friendships and family relationships that are so important to our community."

He continued: "Some people have put the blame of this turmoil on myself and the City administration. They have also slandered my personal business saying that it was a den of people who enhance and contribute to the uneasiness of this ongoing situation. This is definitely not the case. It has caused problems in my family and my restaurant."

The next morning, an anonymous writer replied: "Is the mayor concerned about the town or his restaurant? It's hard to tell."

An hour later, another respondent chimed in: "...Addressing the town's issues and your family issues in the same message was inappropriate."

This prompted Thompson to write another post: "...I am guilty of Loving this community and only want the best for all who live here. This will be my last comment; no matter what I say or do, I see that I will never be enough to fulfill everybody's opinion."

A couple days later, the two-term mayor agreed to his first on-the-record interview.

Thompson says the quaint, friendly town he fell in love with years ago has become sharply divided. Loyalty to the wood-treatment facility, which helped create Somerville and for many years was its largest employer, has pitted neighbor against neighbor.

Thompson, who has no background in science or even a college degree, says he isn't qualified to say whether the elevated levels of arsenic, dioxin and other known cancer-causing chemicals found throughout the community can be linked to the plant.

He believes that many of the illnesses contracted by residents were caused by genetics or other factors. But his position is complicated by the fact that his sister-in-law Linda Faust is one of the plaintiffs. Faust, a longtime Somerville resident, was diagnosed with an aggressive stomach cancer at age 40; her trial date is set for early next month.

Thompson blames the lawsuits against the wood-treatment facility for the town's current recession. "Building permits have dropped to almost nothing," he says. "Everybody's life seems to be on hold right now."

His advice to frustrated business owners: "Hold steady and straddle the fence until we find out something more ­concrete."
_____________________

Thompson estimates that sales taxes in the town have declined by more than 12 percent in the last year largely due to a drop in tourists to Lake Somerville, a reservoir built in the mid-1960s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers that attracts as many as 1.4 million visitors a year.

The City of Brenham, located 15 miles away, for decades has pumped its drinking water from Lake Somerville. Terry Roberts, city manager of Brenham, says he is aware that the wood-treatment facility in Somerville contaminated the area's groundwater; the land beneath the facility has been listed as a federal hazardous waste since the mid-1980s.

But Lake Somerville is not contaminated, Roberts says, adding that no one in Brenham has expressed concerns about the safety of his town's drinking water.

Write Your Comment show comments (7)

  1. After reading this last article, I feel a comment on Ms. Lissner's behalf is warranted. She has had that email line with Somerville alumni for years and this lawsuit is certainly not all that comes from this Yegua Line. She provides so many of us with a world of information about those who do not live here any longer and about whom we all still care about and would otherwise not know about. Their happy times and their times of sorrows. I said it to Mr. Spivak and the world can know as well... I am NOT going anywhere, no matter what is found. Somerville is my home town and before all of this litigation causing division, it was a loving and friendly place to live. Now the lines seem to be being drawn and that's just not what Somerville has always been about. I won't be redundant and repeat the lifestyles, etc. That's a given. For over 100 years, this has been home to my family, my grandfather being the first Pharmacist. I plan to attempt to carry on the tradition of friendliness and home town hospitality. By the way, TCEQ HAS done testing on all of the City's waters, sewers, and CCF plants and passed with flying colors. So some others were misinformed. My suggestion would be to check facts before relaying false information. If someone doesn't like our town, LEAVE. If you are going to cry about your property being useless now because of this, guess who caused this? But leave, by all means, and move to Pasadena or somewhere equally smelly. I am just amazed at this mess going on here........this is NOT God's way. Let's all pray that we can recoup our friendships and go on with life. My parents were never quitters and neither am I, so Somerville will always be home. God Bless you all!

    Comment by Christine — December 27, 2007 @ 07:33AM

  2. A small error. The creeks Yegua and Tommelson... Yegua is correct but the other is Thompson Creek. Thanks

    Comment by jlh — December 27, 2007 @ 12:43PM

  3. I'm confused....what does the Mayor's tattoos have to do with this story? It seems like your attempt to run down the Mayor overshadows the seriousness of the story. You really need to stick to the facts and keep the personalities out of it.

    Comment by Confused — December 27, 2007 @ 02:44PM

  4. Todd, you are obviously a "shister" reporter with an axe to grind about Somerville. And, why? If attacking the people of this little town makes you happy, then you are truly off on a rabbit trail of your own making.

    As far as the comments by me, you obviously were only listening with one ear. First, my Mother is now 83. She has only had breast cancer once, not twice. She now has the distinction of being the longest breast cancer survivor treated at MD Anderson Hospital. My grandmother never lived in Somerville, although she did cross the "Yegua" a time or two for visits. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 91 and died at 93 from natural causes (i.e., old age). When we discussed my Mother's cancer I made reference to my grandmother because of our ability to now trace my Mother's cancer to the possibility of genetics since my Grandmother had a wonderful long life. Yes, I did say it has crossed my mind about the toxicity of the air in Somerville, but not to the point that I'm scared to live there, or visit there. There is no science that proves my Mother's breast cancer came from the "tie plant" and had my grandmother not lived to age 93, we would have never had a genetic link either.

    What exactly is your mission Todd? Do you want to report the facts, or sensationalize the news? Does destroying the integrity of a town really make you happy? Are your sad attempts to bring attention to our beautiful lake in a negative way fulfilling you? Did you honestly have to include "bull****" in my comments as a way to make me look like a less than creditable voice? WE are interested in finding out the truth which will be public when the reports become available. As I told you, everyone is interested in the truth. If something needs to be cleaned up, then hopefully it will get cleaned up and everyone can move on, not move OUT of Somerville.

    Somerville will survive this bad press. It may take years, but there are strong, good educated people in that little Texas town and from that same little Texas town. We had the benefit of growing up in a safe place where we formed lifetime bonds and we will survive. I may have lived in Houston for 34 years, but I'll always be "from Somerville".

    Stick to the facts Todd, just stick to the facts and as they come out report them honestly and fairly! I thought I made that clear when we talked....or, maybe not.

    Comment by Shirley Neutzler Lissner — December 27, 2007 @ 03:33PM

  5. I certainly hope Todd Spivey wins whatever award he is battling for! It is sad to see, fully exposed, what type of person the writer is. Sadly he will get his just-rewards. This is a lovely town, with loving people. This story mis-representes our mayor and town. Shame on MR TODD for taking quotes and facts out of context, and mis-representing with a twist of words. When the dust settles, I wonder how many lawsuits he will face? This type of writer would be better suited for rag paper that sells "entertainment" rather then "news". Integrity not a word yet learned.

    Comment by Amanda — December 29, 2007 @ 12:36PM

  6. In his recent articles (Toxic Town: Cancer and Birth Defects in Somerville and Toxic Runoff: Somerville Mayor Tommy Thompson Discusses the Public Heath Situation ) Mr. Spivak from the Houston Press did get a number of things absolutely right about Somerville . Somerville is a sleepy little town 90 miles NW of Houston. A number of people in Somerville have had battles with cancer and some families have had children born with birth defects. There is no question that the folks mentioned in the articles have suffered and continue to suffer significantly with health issues. There is apparently a law firm representing these families (and possibly others) in a civil action against Koppers and BNSF in an attempt to provide some financial relief for these families. There are studies underway by the plaintiffs’ attorneys and their experts which allege that Somerville is a toxic town and should be evacuated immediately. There are studies by the defendants, and several independent state agencies, that appear to contradict the allegations of the plaintiffs.



    However, as with most news outlets today, Mr. Spivak and The Houston Press decided not to just “report” a story about the law suit that is on-going in Somerville by a few individuals, but to “write” a story about a Toxic Town that paints a very distorted and disingenuous picture of this particular small Texas town.



    While Somerville is, as Mr. Spivak described, a sleepy one stop light town, it is a town full of honorable, hard working, patriotic folks who choose to live there. They go to church on Sundays, display and honor the flag and support this great country with their passion and the lives of their fathers, themselves and their children. They go to football games on Friday nights, they support the schools, and they enjoy all the great values that exist is small towns which are often lost in the hustle and bustle of larger cities. They support each others families in times of need and they know and care about their neighbors.



    Mr. Spivak got a few things right, but he did not paint an accurate picture of Somerville . Is there some truth to the allegations of the plaintiffs in this case, . . . possibly. Only time and independent scientific investigation will tell. Is Somerville a Toxic Town where almost everyone is sick and dying from the irresponsible actions of Koppers and BNSF at the tie plant . . . possibly. But the evidence, based on the number of people who grew up in Somerville and those who still live there, who are not suffering from cancer and who have not had children born with birth defects seems to indicate that perhaps his reporting on Somerville was at best, inaccurate and at worst irresponsible!



    The public has a right to know, but they also have a right to know all the facts, and journalist have a responsibility to accurately and fairly report all the facts. People really are smart enough to read and form their own opinions.



    Marc Lockard

    Somerville resident from 1949 to 1970

    SHS Class of 1968

    Comment by Marc Lockard — December 30, 2007 @ 09:12AM

  7. I have so much stuff! What do I do with all of it?

    These were the exact questions I was asking myself until I heard of this new service named Grand Slam Garage Sales. They’re fantastic! They run the whole garage sale hassle free. All there workers arrive on time, in uniform, and ready to work hard. GSGS sets up the sale on Friday, runs the entire sale on Saturday, and the best part; everything that isn’t sold in the sale is taken to goodwill! They charge a very reasonable base price of $450, considering they do it all, guarantee at least $50 to the customer, and normally make over $800 in a sale (meaning hundreds to the customer). Also, they offer 2 other services including the “Clean Sweep Item Removal Service” and the “Pinch Hit Pressure Washing.”

    The garage sale they did for me generated $1,326 and I stayed inside watching TV during the sale and went over to a friend’s house! They really did it ALL…

    Go to www.GrandSlamGarageSales.com and check it out for yourself!

    Comment by Michelle Jones — January 14, 2008 @ 06:52PM

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