An Arkansas man was arrested in Greene County after employees at the water utility opened his bill payment and found 7 grams of crystal meth in the envelope.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Department says the man dropped off his bill at a drop box during the night and somehow left the contraband in the envelope along with his payment.
Police later searched the man’s home and found another 38 grams of meth, scales, pipes, prescription drugs and cannabis.
Source: The Ledger-Enquirer
Worker Mishap Starts Four-Alarm Fire at New Jersey WWTP
Firefighters recently put out a four-alarm fire at a wastewater treatment plant in North Bergen, New Jersey.
The North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority facility is under renovation, and reportedly, workers accidentally started a fire using torches. After trying to put it out themselves, the workers called the fire department, which battled the blaze from about 9 a.m. to noon.
Hazmat units from Jersey City and Bayonne were called out to the scene as well, since there were hazardous materials within the plant.
Source: NJ.com
Hurricane Harvey Wastewater Contamination Worse Than Previously Thought
A recent investigation by the Associated Press and Houston Chronicle has uncovered that the petrochemical contamination from industrial wastewater caused by Hurricane Harvey was much more widespread than previously suspected.
Investigative reporter Lise Olsen of the Houston Chronicle told the Texas Standard some of the details about contamination were lost in the chaotic aftermath of the hurricane.
“Everybody’s eyes were on the sky on Arkema when that plant north of Houston, northeast, was ready to blow up essentially in the aftermath of Harvey,” she says. “But what we weren’t really watching out for was the amount of toxics leaking into groundwater.”
Olsen claims the chemicals in Houston neighborhoods will eventually leach into Galveston Bay and that it’s hard to estimate the exact scale of the problem.
Source: Texas Standard
Houston Police Investigating Body Found at Defunct Treatment Plant
Investigators are looking into the death of a man found floating in a water treatment tank in Houston, Texas.
The plant had been closed for years, according to Houston police. The cause of the man’s death is currently unknown, although police are seeking any information that may contribute to the investigation.
Source: ABC 13 News
