Home > Analysis: 847 Shotwell St, Houston, TX 77020 09/04/2025

📊 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

847 SHOTWELL ST HOUSTON 77020

Building Size

987 sqft

Total structure area from HCAD building records.

Elevation

41.82 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: 31.82 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

High

Higher pollution than 79% 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)

731 thousand lbs

Extremely High

112.0x more than typical Houston property
≈ 37 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)

724 thousand lbs

Extremely High

150.0x 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)

6 thousand lbs

Very 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)	730,600 lbs	723,509 lbs	5,910 lbs
Typical Houston Property (2024 Only)	2 lbs	1 lbs	0 lbs
This Property (2024 Only)	166,246 lbs	66,062 lbs	993 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 79% of Houston homes

Each bar's width represents the percentage of Houston homes in that pollution range. This property ranks in the 20-29th percentile (top 25% most polluted).

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

Zinc compounds, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Styrene, Nitric acid

View the full list of 49 chemicals below.

Chemicals Released (2014-2024, 10-Year Total) (49 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs, 10yr)	Water (lbs, 10yr)	Total (lbs, 10yr)
1	Zinc compounds	N982	199,418	4,977	204,395
2	Xylene (mixed isomers)	1330-20-7	141,882	0	141,882
3	n-Hexane	110-54-3	125,640	0	125,640
4	Styrene	100-42-5	78,090	0	78,090
5	Nitric acid	7697-37-2	35,489	0	35,489
6	n-Butyl alcohol	71-36-3	33,617	0	33,617
7	Toluene	108-88-3	25,586	0	26,759
8	Phenol	108-95-2	24,642	0	24,642
9	Ethylbenzene	100-41-4	16,163	0	16,163
10	1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene	95-63-6	8,965	0	8,965
11	Hydrogen sulfide	7783-06-4	6,912	0	6,912
12	Ammonia	7664-41-7	3,770	0	3,770
13	Methyl isobutyl ketone	108-10-1	3,355	0	3,355
14	Lead compounds	N420	3,157	76	3,233
15	Cyclohexane	110-82-7	2,389	0	2,389
16	Methanol	67-56-1	2,104	0	2,104
17	Copper compounds	N100	2,022	1	2,023
18	Formaldehyde	50-00-0	1,893	0	1,893
19	Lead And Lead Compounds	N420	1,553	1	1,554
20	Ethylene glycol	107-21-1	1,461	0	1,461
21	Polycyclic aromatic compounds	N590	1,170	1	1,171
22	Methyl tert-butyl ether	1634-04-4	1,021	0	1,021
23	Propylene	115-07-1	810	0	810
24	Manganese	7439-96-5	168	363	531
25	Certain glycol ethers	N230	402	0	402
26	Chloroacetic acid	79-11-8	330	0	330
27	Methyl methacrylate	80-62-6	265	0	265
28	Manganese compounds	N450	18	208	226
29	Benzo[g,h,i]perylene	191-24-2	221	0	221
30	Benzene	71-43-2	218	0	218
31	Naphthalene	91-20-3	194	0	194
32	Zinc (fume or dust)	7440-66-6	192	0	192
33	Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region)	N090	151	15	166
34	Diisocyanates	N120	101	4	105
35	Aluminum oxide (fibrous forms)	1344-28-1	1	98	99
36	Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7))	N040	0	67	67
37	Nickel	7440-02-0	24	41	65
38	Chromium	7440-47-3	19	12	35
39	Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region)	N090	32	1	33
40	Aluminum (fume or dust)	7429-90-5	24	0	24
41	Lead	7439-92-1	0	24	24
42	Barium And Barium Compounds	N040	0	16	16
43	Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution)	N511	15	0	15
44	Nickel compounds	N495	13	0	13
45	Copper And Copper Compounds	N100	10	0	10
46	Copper	7440-50-8	0	6	6
47	Cobalt	7440-48-4	0	0	4
48	Molybdenum trioxide	1313-27-5	1	0	1
49	Cumene	98-82-8	1	0	1

Top chemicals released near this property (2024 only):

Zinc compounds, Manganese, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Toluene

View the full list of 21 chemicals reported within 2 miles for 2024.

Chemicals Released (2024 Only) (21 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs/yr)	Water (lbs/yr)	Total (lbs/yr)
1	Zinc compounds	N982	12,375	739	81,473
2	Manganese	7439-96-5	0	41	19,987
3	Xylene (mixed isomers)	1330-20-7	17,453	0	17,453
4	n-Hexane	110-54-3	12,290	0	12,290
5	Toluene	108-88-3	11,886	0	11,886
6	Styrene	100-42-5	9,639	0	9,639
7	Nitric acid	7697-37-2	750	0	9,441
8	Nickel	7440-02-0	0	31	2,080
9	1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene	95-63-6	1,210	0	1,210
10	Lead And Lead Compounds	N420	161	0	162
11	Polycyclic aromatic compounds	N590	115	0	125
12	Methanol	67-56-1	125	0	125
13	Manganese compounds	N450	2	116	118
14	Lead compounds	N420	5	3	60
15	Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7))	N040	0	19	53
16	Lead	7439-92-1	0	3	48
17	Aluminum oxide (fibrous forms)	1344-28-1	0	42	42
18	Benzo[g,h,i]perylene	191-24-2	21	0	24
19	Chloroacetic acid	79-11-8	10	0	10
20	Ethylene glycol	107-21-1	10	0	10
21	Methyl methacrylate	80-62-6	10	0	10