Yesterday, I posted the results of a TCEQ investigation into the Liberty Materials sand mine in Conroe. TCEQ alleged that the mine discharged 56 million gallons of white milky pollution into the West Fork of the San Jacinto. They also found that a water sample taken at the mine contained almost 25X the normal level of dissolved solids. The report mentions four other recent investigations that resulted in citations for unauthorized discharges.

October Flyover Shows Other Discharges At Same Mine

Today, I reviewed aerial photos of the mine that I took on a flyover in October, before the alleged unauthorized discharge.

More Than a Dozen Discharges Seen on One Day

The TCEQ cited Liberty for 4 previous unauthorized discharges in the last 2.5 years. Had they visited the mine on October 2nd, they might have found that many violations in one day.

And these weren’t the only breaches I found that day. Counting those at other mines on the East and West Forks, TCEQ could have easily tallied another dozen violations on this one day.

Sad to say, this industry has an abysmal health and safety record.

To track the status of TCEQ cases near you, check out this section of their web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on December 2, 2019

825 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 74 since Imelda

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.