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Liberty Hill water treatment plant cited for dumping waste in river again

This is an issue the KVUE Defenders have reported on extensively since last year.

LIBERTY HILL, Texas — More complaints and now more environmental violations along a popular Central Texas river.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) once again cited the Liberty Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant for dumping waste solids into the San Gabriel River.

This is an issue the KVUE Defenders have reported on extensively since last year.

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Water worries are nothing new for neighbors along the South San Gabriel River in Georgetown.

“It's discouraging,” said Lawann Tull, who lives on the river.

The TCEQ released its latest findings on the Liberty Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant and found that the plant released approximately 3,000 gallons of treated wastewater that included solid waste on March 16 and 17.

“This river was covered from side to side with algae this thick [like a carpet],” said Louise Bunnell, who also lives on the South San Gabriel River.

She took video of her walking in boots through the carpet-like algae last summer.

The TCEQ cited the plant for six violations in 2018, and the plant has self-reported dozens of other violations since 2017.

MWD_WQ0014477001_RP_20190507_Report Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Investigation Report 'The TCEQ commited to acesshilly.

The TCEQ ordered the water treatment plant to clean up the spill, which pictures show it did. 

Neighbors worry about the future of the river their families once enjoyed with another violation and no monetary penalty.

“We're getting more of the same with more to come, considering all the violations we are seeing from that Liberty Hill Wastewater treatment plant," Tull said.

Credit: KVUE

The Liberty Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of 2,583 wastewater treatment plants across the state allowed to dump treated wastewater into our waterways. 

Nearly 50,000 plants – 49,500 total – are allowed to dump treated wastewater across the country.

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