Home > Analysis: 1540 Sheffield Blvd, Houston, TX 77015

📊 Environmental Assessment Report

This comprehensive report analyzes both flood risk and industrial pollution exposure for this property. The assessment combines multiple data sources including USGS elevation, FEMA flood zones, historical storm modeling, and EPA Toxic Release Inventory records.

🌊 Part 1: Flood Risk Analysis

Property Overview

This section shows the fundamental characteristics of the property, including its elevation above sea level, FEMA flood zone designation, and our calculated overall flood risk rating based on historical data and topographic analysis.

Address

1540 SHEFFIELD BLVD HOUSTON 77015

Building Size

2,040 sqft

Total structure area from HCAD building records.

Elevation

26.75 ft

Height above sea level from USGS data.

FEMA Flood Zone

Moderate to Low Risk - Outside 500-year floodplain

Overall Risk

Very Low

Risk based on FEMA zone and simulation.

Risk Assessment Outputs

These detailed metrics show the technical outputs from our flood risk model. They include predicted water depths at the property during a 5000-year flood event and estimated flood damage based on USACE methodology.

Risk Rating

Very Low

Flood Depth

0 ft ±0.5 ft

No flooding at current water level.

Water Surface Elevation (WSE)

N/A

Water surface elevation data not available.

Area Inundated

N/A

Data not available

Nearest Bayou Stage

N/A

No nearby bayou within monitoring range

Depth-Damage Estimate (HCAD Valuation)

Property not flooded at current water level. No damage to calculate.

Depth-Damage Estimate (Neighborhood Comparison)

Property not flooded at current water level. No damage to calculate.

Analysis Method

COG Bathtub Model

Raster-based flood inundation query

Flood Simulation

This simulation shows whether the property would flood based on a 5000-year flood event with 3m (9.84ft) water level. Use the interactive tool to explore different scenarios.

✅ Property Would Be Safe

Safety Margin: 16.75 feet
Severity: Safe

Adjust Flood Simulation

The analysis above uses default settings (5000-year flood, 3m/9.84ft water level). To explore different flood scenarios with interactive maps, return to the main tool:

Open Interactive Analysis Tool

Flood Risk Recommendations

Based on the property's flood risk profile, here are specific action items to consider.

FEMA Zone X (minimal hazard) - flood insurance available at preferred rates.
Review the interactive flood simulator to understand how different rainfall events could affect this property.
Contact Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for drainage projects and flood information.

🏭 Part 2: Industrial Pollution Exposure

Property Pollution Ranking

Very High

Higher pollution than 92% of Houston homes

This ranking compares pollution levels within 2 miles of this property against 10,000 randomly sampled Houston metro properties. Lower percentiles indicate higher pollution exposure.

Industrial Pollution Nearby (Last 10 Years)

17.66 million lbs

Extremely High

2706.7x more than typical Houston property
≈ 883 dump trucks of chemicals within 2 miles

Total chemical releases from all industrial facilities within a 2-mile radius over the past decade (2014–2024). Data from EPA's Toxic Release Inventory tracking air, water, and land discharges.

💨 Air Pollution (Last 10 Years)

2.03 million lbs

Extremely High

421.8x more than typical Houston property

Chemicals released into the air from nearby facilities over 10 years. Includes both fugitive emissions (leaks, evaporation) and stack emissions (smokestacks, vents). May affect local air quality.

💧 Water Pollution (Last 10 Years)

58 thousand lbs

Extremely High

Chemical discharges to surface water (bayous, streams, drainage) from industrial facilities within 2 miles over the past decade. May impact local waterways and drainage systems.

❤️ Why It Matters

High chemical activity nearby can indicate industrial zones, truck traffic, or potential odor and noise issues. These factors may affect air quality, long-term property desirability, and neighborhood character. This data helps you understand the industrial footprint around your property.

🏙️ Houston Metro Benchmarks

Comparison with typical Houston properties (based on 10,000 randomly sampled homes). All measurements are for chemicals released within a 2-mile radius.

Period	Total	Air	Water
Typical Houston Property (2014-2024)	6,524 lbs	4,822 lbs	0 lbs
This Property (2014-2024)	17,659,037 lbs	2,034,056 lbs	57,922 lbs
Typical Houston Property (2024 Only)	2 lbs	1 lbs	0 lbs
This Property (2024 Only)	218,422 lbs	172,119 lbs	1,385 lbs

📊 How This Property Compares to Houston Metro

Based on a random sample of 10,000 Houston properties, this chart shows the distribution of pollution levels across the metro area. The highlighted bar indicates where this property falls compared to other homes. Lower percentiles mean higher pollution exposure.

0-9thMost Polluted

9.9%

10-19th

10.1%

20-29th

9.9%

30-39th

10.1%

40-49th

9.7%

50-59th

10.2%

60-69th

70-79th

5.8%

80-89th

4.3%

90-100thLowest Pollution

34.2%

Higher pollution than 92% of Houston homes

Each bar's width represents the percentage of Houston homes in that pollution range. This property ranks in the 0-9th percentile (top 10% most polluted).

Top chemicals released near this property (past 10 years):

m-Cresol, 2,4-Dimethylphenol, p-Cresol, o-Cresol, Phenol

View the full list of 56 chemicals below.

Chemicals Released (2014-2024, 10-Year Total) (56 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs, 10yr)	Water (lbs, 10yr)	Total (lbs, 10yr)
1	m-Cresol	108-39-4	45,935	6,586	5,666,444
2	2,4-Dimethylphenol	105-67-9	13,055	965	4,229,319
3	p-Cresol	106-44-5	38,298	3,292	3,009,676
4	o-Cresol	95-48-7	25,461	1,579	1,765,196
5	Phenol	108-95-2	17,879	3,104	1,051,635
6	Ammonia	7664-41-7	671,337	37,058	708,395
7	Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size)	7664-93-9	278,278	0	278,278
8	1,3-Butadiene	106-99-0	203,018	0	203,018
9	Ethylene	74-85-1	165,454	0	165,454
10	Chlorine	7782-50-5	88,504	0	88,504
11	n-Hexane	110-54-3	64,257	9	64,337
12	Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size)	7647-01-0	59,575	0	59,575
13	Styrene	100-42-5	59,223	0	59,223
14	Chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22)	75-45-6	46,271	0	46,271
15	Hydrogen sulfide	7783-06-4	31,339	0	31,339
16	Chlorothalonil	1897-45-6	29,974	83	30,057
17	Xylene (mixed isomers)	1330-20-7	28,097	18	28,186
18	Carbon disulfide	75-15-0	27,720	0	27,720
19	Toluene	108-88-3	22,615	17	23,295
20	Cyclohexane	110-82-7	16,388	0	16,388
21	Carbon tetrachloride	56-23-5	14,345	12	14,358
22	Isoprene	78-79-5	13,272	0	13,272
23	Methanol	67-56-1	12,158	0	12,158
24	m-Xylene	108-38-3	11,963	54	12,017
25	Ethylbenzene	100-41-4	11,814	16	11,867
26	Benzene	71-43-2	10,336	9	10,363
27	Vanadium compounds	N770	6,236	2,153	8,389
28	1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene	95-63-6	3,593	0	3,664
29	Biphenyl	92-52-4	3,407	0	3,407
30	Hydrogen cyanide	74-90-8	3,231	0	3,231
31	Manganese	7439-96-5	1,668	543	2,211
32	Chromium	7440-47-3	1,182	925	2,106
33	Nickel	7440-02-0	1,350	544	1,894
34	Manganese compounds	N450	990	262	1,252
35	Formic acid	64-18-6	1,012	0	1,012
36	Hexachlorobenzene	118-74-1	1,002	1	1,003
37	Certain glycol ethers	N230	903	0	903
38	Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region)	N090	410	417	828
39	Nickel compounds	N495	443	250	694
40	Ethylene glycol	107-21-1	398	0	398
41	Aluminum (fume or dust)	7429-90-5	250	0	250
42	Copper	7440-50-8	250	0	250
43	Cobalt	7440-48-4	250	0	250
44	Phthalic anhydride	85-44-9	184	0	184
45	Cumene	98-82-8	169	0	174
46	Naphthalene	91-20-3	163	0	168
47	Maleic anhydride	108-31-6	139	0	139
48	Propylene	115-07-1	126	0	126
49	Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds	N150	39	0	39
50	Anthracene	120-12-7	31	0	31
51	Nitric acid	7697-37-2	28	0	28
52	Polycyclic aromatic compounds	N590	23	0	23
53	Lead compounds	N420	2	11	14
54	Lead And Lead Compounds	N420	0	12	12
55	Nonylphenol Ethoxylates	N535	10	0	10
56	Mercury	7439-97-6	0	0	2

Top chemicals released near this property (2024 only):

Ammonia, 1,3-Butadiene, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Ethylene, m-Cresol

View the full list of 32 chemicals reported within 2 miles for 2024.

Chemicals Released (2024 Only) (32 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs/yr)	Water (lbs/yr)	Total (lbs/yr)
1	Ammonia	7664-41-7	74,863	93	101,614
2	1,3-Butadiene	106-99-0	32,375	0	32,375
3	Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size)	7664-93-9	17,245	0	17,245
4	Ethylene	74-85-1	14,466	0	14,466
5	m-Cresol	108-39-4	5,580	416	7,579
6	2,4-Dimethylphenol	105-67-9	1,591	64	7,241
7	Vanadium compounds	N770	0	0	6,689
8	p-Cresol	106-44-5	4,895	208	5,894
9	o-Cresol	95-48-7	3,192	103	3,937
10	n-Hexane	110-54-3	3,420	0	3,491
11	Phenol	108-95-2	2,525	151	3,053
12	Hydrogen sulfide	7783-06-4	2,619	0	2,619
13	Carbon disulfide	75-15-0	1,835	0	2,484
14	Isoprene	78-79-5	2,371	0	2,371
15	Toluene	108-88-3	834	8	1,505
16	Methanol	67-56-1	1,343	0	1,343
17	Cyclohexane	110-82-7	1,053	0	1,053
18	Lead And Lead Compounds	N420	0	5	788
19	Benzene	71-43-2	545	2	568
20	Xylene (mixed isomers)	1330-20-7	280	8	360
21	Manganese	7439-96-5	162	86	248
22	Chromium	7440-47-3	71	144	215
23	Certain glycol ethers	N230	214	0	214
24	Nickel	7440-02-0	108	86	202
25	1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene	95-63-6	114	0	185
26	Formic acid	64-18-6	173	0	173
27	Ethylbenzene	100-41-4	125	8	170
28	Lead compounds	N420	0	3	164
29	Propylene	115-07-1	83	0	83
30	Mercury compounds	N458	0	0	46
31	Cumene	98-82-8	25	0	30
32	Naphthalene	91-20-3	11	0	17