HOUSTON — Houston police served a warrant at a Kingwood wastewater treatment plant Friday morning, following allegations of “falsified documents and compliance samples,” according to a release from the City of Houston.
This comes after residents reported an odor in the area to Houston Public Works in January. Houston police launched an investigation and said they found irregularities in plant operations and regulatory data.
The case was referred to HPD and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) environmental crimes units.
“This is a waste treatment plant, it’s going to stink, but the odor was beyond anything I’ve ever smelled over the last 35 years," Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin said.
According to the city, the plant is run by Inframark, a third-party company. Inframark gave KHOU 11 the following statement:
"We are cooperating with the authorities to conduct a thorough review of the wastewater treatment plant operations. We continue to take measures to ensure there is no adverse impact to the community or the environment."
The warrant was served Friday morning.
City officials said drinking water for residents wasn’t affected. They also said there aren’t any disruptions in water or wastewater services.
Odor reported in January
On January 28, reporter Matt Dougherty reported on a smell residents noticed near the wastewater treatment plant. You can see his full report here. At the time, the city said the smell was due to malfunctioning equipment.