WHITNEY, Texas (KXXV) — The city of Whitney has been fined $18,000 because of the wastewater treatment plant by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for violations of the Water Quality Act.
Documents obtained through an open records request show the violations were discovered during a record review conducted on December 22, 2023, and documented in a letter dated February 1, 2024, from the TCEQ Compliance Monitoring Team.
The city failed to comply with limits on pollutant discharges for five months in 2023, according to the TCEQ investigation.
"Without proper wastewater treatment, then you end up with a huge health hazard," said Whitney City Council Member Amy Teal.
The alleged violations specifically cite failure to comply with permit effluent limits for Total Suspended Solids daily average at Outfall 001A for monitoring periods ending April 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023.
According to TCEQ documents, "These violations meet EIC Category A referral criteria: 40% or greater exceedance for two or more months during a 6-month period."
Teal said there have been compliance issues at the Polk Street facility for many years, and it has been under TCEQ enforcement for at least a decade.
The city is now looking at plans to build a new treatment plant, though these plans are still in the beginning stages. During recent discussions, the city has considered applying for grants to help fund the project.
To help offset the penalty, Whitney is considering a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP).
"It looks like Whitney went ahead and we voted to pay the fine, but then found out that there are some things that we can do with the supplemental environment project that will nullify that fine, so we're expecting to get that money back," Teal said.
The facility currently discharges to part of the Brazos River Basin.
In other city business, the council voted Wednesday in favor of posting public agenda packets on the city's website, which will allow residents to access relevant documents before council meetings.
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