GULF OF MEXICO 



559 



available for the 162 municipalities that provide 

 treatment so that the actual total discharge for 

 all municipalities is not known. 



Because summary data on industrial wastes 

 are not available for Texas and are less complete 

 than municipal data for other Gulf States the 

 extent of the industrial waste pollution problem 

 is not fully shown. On the basis of present knowl- 

 edge, 173 industrial plants of various kinds dis- 

 charge treated or untreated waste directly to sur- 

 face waters. These plants include production of 

 pulp and paper, sugar, petroleum and its products, 

 processed food, chemicals, and metals. Their 

 wastes are of many different kinds. One hundred 

 fifteen plants produce organic wastes, but the 

 quantity can be estimated with confidence for 

 only five, which discharge a total of 76,000 popu- 

 lation equivalent.' Inorganic wastes are produced 

 by 67 plants, and the type of wastes from five 

 plants is not known. A number of plants have 

 process wastes with appreciable quantities of both 

 organic and inorganic components. Considerable 

 additional information is needed before an esti- 

 mate of the total quantity of waste from all 

 sources can be made. 



Although 82 percent of the municipalities along 

 the Gulf coast that have sewer systems also have 

 sewage treatment facilities, at least 25 percent of 



3 Sewered population equivalent of industrial waste is based on 0.167 

 pounds of 5-day, 20° C. biochemical oxygen demand per capita per day in 

 municipal sewage. 



the total sewered population is not served by 

 such facilities. In addition, recent phenomenal 

 population growth and obsolescence of equipment 

 have made 60 of the 162 existing sewage treat- 

 ment facilities physically inadequate to satisfac- 

 torily treat the waste they receive. 



Definite information on provision of pollution 

 prevention measures or practices by industries is 

 available for only about one-third of the plants. 

 Less than one-third of these have treatment facil- 

 ities of which two have insufficient capacity and 

 three have unsatisfactory operation. 



An increase of approximately 14 percent in the 

 number of municipal treatment facilities will be 

 necessary to help bring about an adequate pollu- 

 tion abatement program for the receiving waters. 

 These new facilities, which are 22 in number, 

 would serve about 130,000 people. In addition, 

 37 percent of the existing facilities need either to 

 be replaced by new plants or enlarged and re- 

 modeled to handle existing loads in an adequate 

 manner. These plants now serve about 272,000 

 persons. 



Information on necessary remedial measures is 

 available for only 14 percent of the industries. 

 The facilities for 13 industries are known to be 

 satisfactory, 9 new facilities are needed, and 3 

 need enlargements or additions. 



Distribution by States of basic data on water 

 pollution is shown in tables 1 through 4 and maps, 

 figures 1 and 2. These are self-explanatory. 



' Sources lying within 50 miles of the Gulf plus several significant sources lying just outside the 50 mile zone. 

 > Cities, towns, villages, sewer districts, and institutions. 



