Take Action!
Keep Industrial Liquid Waste Out of Rio Hondo’s Treatment Plant
A company called Partners Dewatering (which operates under the name SOS Liquids) has applied to process liquid waste at the City of Rio Hondo’s wastewater treatment facility on North Reynolds. The facility will take septic waste and the waste from grit and grease traps for treatment and disposal. This company has done this process in the city of La Coste (south of San Antonio) and has been cited numerous times by environmental agencies for shoddy management and illegal discharges of pollution into the air and water. Its record is so poor the state environmental agency has given its one facility an "unsatisfactory" rating - only 3% of rated facilities have such a rating!
Concerned residents turned out in force to a public meeting on January 17 and a specially called Rio Hondo City Commissioner meeting on January 13. City leaders now seem to be looking for a way to get out of the contract with the company.
Neighbors in LaCoste have faced awful odors and dramatically reduced property values. At times they have noticed bad tastes in their drinking water, raising concerns about serious water pollution. On at least one occasion La Coste residents had to boil their water to avoid getting sick after a discharge from the facility. There were also a number of major fish kills where thousands of fish came up dead in a short period, adding to new smell and health problems. The facility had been operated for years by the City of LaCoste and none of the smell or other problems existed under their management—just like the city-operated facility here in Rio Hondo. Partners Dewatering has created problems in other communities, and now they want to come into Rio Hondo.
This company wants to use our wastewater treatment plant, built and maintained with our tax dollars, to process toxic industrial wastes in a sloppy way, a circumstance which could lead to odors, fishkills, water contamination and health threats. We need our City Commissioners to take a stand for our air, water and community by getting out of this deal!
The good news is that letters from residents of Rio Hondo to state legislators started the ball rolling in September 2012! State Representatives J.M. Lozano and René Oliveira responded to these letters and formally requested a public meeting where the company and the state environmental agency will provide information, answer questions and take comments from residents. Others concerned about the impacts on the Arroyo Colorado where the waste would be dumped and the Laguna Madre also got involved. As word spread, the opposition has continued to grow!
Contact Texas Campaign for the Environment for the latest details. Call 512-326-5655 or send an email to dobbs (at) texasenvironment.org
Click here for a sample letter to the Rio Hondo City Council
Click here for a sample letter to the state environmental agency
Here are some recent news stories on the Rio Hondo proposal:
Action 4 News September 25, 2012:
Fear mounts over proposed liquid waste facility in Rio Hondo
The Valley Morning Star/Brownsville Herald September 26, 2012:
Officials request public hearings for sewer plant
The Valley Morning Star October 2, 2012:
Grease processing facility draws opposition
The Valley Morning Star October 4, 2012
Firm Defends Grease Plan
The Valley Morning Star October 18, 2012
Gritty Protest: Rio Hondo residents push back against sewer plan
Thanks to previous organizing by Texas Campaign for the Environment, the full application for this proposed plant is available online here.
Here are some new stories regarding the company's operations in LaCoste TX, a small community south of San Antonio in Medina County:
El Campo Leader News, August 12, 2010
La Coste sewer plant woes could be decided by courts
El Campo Leader News, July 15, 2010
La Coste residents raise stink about sewer
El Campo Leader News, March 4, 2010
Penalties pending over La Coste sludge spill
Medina Valley Times, August 4, 2005
State gives one last chance after fish kill
Medina Valley Times, June 16, 2005
Litigation continues over Polecat Creek fish kill
Who represents me? Find your lawmakers at the Capitol!
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