Samples are being taken on Thursday from five 4,000-gallon storage tanks that are precariously close to the newly-formed section of the Daisetta sinkhole.
The people taking the samples are being lifted using a boom truck, which allows them to safely access the chemicals without further disturbing the sinkhole.
According to Bill Hergemueller, director of Liberty County Office of Emergency Management, the samples will then be tested by a lab to determine if they are hazardous or non-hazardous in nature. This will determine how they are safely removed from the site.
Hergemueller could not provide a timeline for when the tests will be complete.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has committed to handling any non-hazardous waste, while the Environmental Protection Agency will handle any hazardous waste.
More updates will be posted as new information becomes available.
