This site was home to the largest cleanup of hazardous waste in Texas history. 64 square miles of marine habitat and fishing waters had been contaminated in the late 1960's. Alcoa's aluminum manufacturing plant was dumping as much as 67 pounds of poisonous mercury per day into Lavaca Bay. They eventually stopped, but the damage had been done. The mercury accumulated, entered the food chain, and built up to unsafe levels throughout the ecosystem. Government officials had to eventually ban fishing activities in part of the bay due to health risks. This also hurt local fisherman and the local economy. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and government partners created a new 70-acre marsh area and over 700
acres of coastal habitat was turned into a wildlife refuge. Before new habitats could be constructed, what did the government need to
do in this area?
A) remove the soil containing the mercury
B) fence the area to keep people out
C) ban fishing activities
D) shut down Alcoa