An attorney for Harris County, Texas, recently filed a lawsuit against a local utility after learning that E. coli was detected in the city waterways at 1,000 times the legal limit.
Newsweek reached out to Roving Meadows Utilities by phone for comment.
Why It Matters
E. coli is a type of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of people and animals, but certain strains can cause severe foodborne illness. While most E. coli strains are harmless, some can cause serious infections and potentially life-threatening complications.
In addition to the bacteria in the waterways, residents have complained about foamy algae in the local streams and an odor of “rotten chicken” or “raw sewage.”
What To Know
Harris County and the State of Texas filed the lawsuit against Roving Meadows Utilities and its owners, Tracy Ragsdale and Kenneth Baird, on January 31. The complaint claims that the wastewater treatment facility is “discharging wastewater into the waters of the state in violation of Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System” permit, as well as the Texas Clean Water Act, Texas Water Code, and state water quality rules.
When reached for comment, Harris County referred Newsweek to the filing and a press release dated February 6.
During an inspection, E. coli was found at 1,000 times the legal limit in Crosby, Texas, roughly 30 minutes northeast of Houston. Although the contaminated water isn’t getting into the region’s drinking water, people and animals could still be exposed to the bacteria.
The wastewater treatment plant has failed seven inspections since March 2021, a press release from the county said, with the most recent occurring in January.
Violations included “extremely high” levels of E. coli and raw sewage “leaking into the ground,” the press release said.
The Mayo Clinic describes E. coli symptoms as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever. More severe symptoms are septic shock and renal failure.
What People Are Saying
Crosby resident Hillary Peoples told local news station ABC 13: “You could smell it. It smells like rotten chicken, and the ditches would be a green, foamy-like algae. But the stench was unbearable.”
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee told ABC 13 of the failed inspections: “They showed bacteria levels and E. coli a thousand times the legal limit. That means if somebody is walking their dog alongside one of these ditches and if the dog gets into the water, then the person, they can get incredibly sick.”
Menefee, in a county press release: “What makes this case particularly concerning is the potential threat to public health and the environment, and the unwillingness to correct these violations. Enough is enough. If you break the law and put people at risk, we will hold you accountable.”
What Happens Next
Menefee said that if the company doesn’t comply with the lawsuit, the county and the state will do “everything within our power” to penalize the company financially. If their permit comes up for renewal, Menefee said, “We’ll do everything within our power to oppose them from receiving a renewal,” ABC 13 reported.
