Houston City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Feb. 7 to allocate $2 million to help residents living in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens that are currently living near a contaminated rail yard voluntarily relocate.
The City of Houston announced earlier this summer it would start making plans to relocate residents living near a Union Pacific Rail Yard in Fifth Ward.
Last year, the Houston Health Department said it found cancer-causing chemicals in the soil around the Union Pacific Railroad yard. The soil contained dioxin, a highly toxic chemical compound associated with cancer and other severe health risks.