"With Huge Damages at Stake, Trial Over Waste Pits To Begin"

"A half-century ago, the owner and operator of a Pasadena paper mill sent its waste for burial to a site along the San Jacinto River. The black bisque of cancer-causing chemicals eventually leaked from the pits, turning these murky waters into one of the nation's most polluted places.

Now, Harris County and the state of Texas want those responsible to pay for the mess.

With more than $1 billion in penalties at stake, a long-awaited civil trial is scheduled to begin this week with jury selection in Judge Caroline Baker's 295th state District Court. The county and state are asking for the companies involved to be fined as much as Texas law allows - $25,000 a day - dating back to the site's 1965 opening."

Matthew Tresaugue reports for the Houston Chronicle October 5, 2014.