Sherwin-Williams Shiloh Plant in Garland, TX Update

August 23, 2023 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have re-opened all waterways potentially impacted by this event for unrestricted use.

Regulators determined it safe to release water being held by the two earthen dams that were constructed to aid in the incident response effort. The two dams, a primary containment barrier and a backup, were constructed on Duck Creek to prevent downstream flow of runoff from the incident. As of August 20, both dams have been removed. Throughout the cleanup efforts, more than 1.5 million gallons of water were pumped from these waterways, filling 75 tanks. The water is being moved to state and federally approved facilities for disposal.

Regulators also previously determined sanitation systems and city drinking water were not affected.

Sherwin-Williams has received approval to resume some operations in the areas of the site that did not experience damage, and we expect these operations to reach full capacity in the coming weeks. Operations remain suspended for the section of the site that experienced the majority of the impact from the fire.

The cause of this incident remains under investigation.

August 16, 2023 – The Sherwin-Williams Company continues to conduct cleanup operations in conjunction with teams from the City of Garland, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), following a fire at the Company’s Shiloh Road plant in Garland, Texas, on Monday, August 7, 2023. 

Regulators have determined that sanitation systems and city drinking water have not been affected and are being continuously monitored.

It was determined by EPA, TCEQ and the City of Garland that it is safe to begin releasing water being held by the retention dam in Duck Creek. The results of water testing have demonstrated water quality sufficient to be safe for agricultural use. Water quality monitoring will continue to ensure the health and safety of the community as the response effort progresses. The continued sampling is located at 10 locations in Duck Creek spanning 53 river miles into the Trinity River. 

Representatives of the Company may be contacting homeowners of potentially impacted properties to request access for additional surface water sampling.

Sherwin-Williams continues to conduct air quality monitoring and has not detected any contaminants that would impact public health. 

The cause of this incident is being investigated.  

Production at the site remains suspended. We will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

August 11, 2023 – The Sherwin-Williams Company personnel continue to conduct cleanup operations in conjunction with teams from the City of Garland, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), following a fire at the Company’s Shiloh Road plant in Garland, Texas, on Monday, August 7, 2023. 

Sherwin-Williams would like to reiterate its deep appreciation to local first responders, the City of Garland, and the state and federal agencies for their ongoing support.

The cause of fire is not yet known, and we are working closely with the local authorities to determine the cause.

Personnel continue to progress with their work to contain runoff from the site. In collaboration with the TCEQ and the EPA, water quality monitoring is ongoing in multiple locations. Additional personnel and equipment have been deployed to minimize potential impacts to waterways.

Sherwin-Williams is conducting ongoing air quality monitoring and has not detected any contaminants that would impact public health.

Over the course of this week, our crews have been working tirelessly in conjunction with teams from the City and our agency partners to implement remediation activities both on and off location.

We have Company personnel and additional support contractors in the field every day supporting these efforts. We are now at a point where we can begin to access the facility to conduct a full assessment.

Production at the site remains suspended. We will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

 Additional resources:

• EPA Response Website
  
• City of Garland Website