The city of Reno water department just got an up-close look when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigated a claim made June 16 concerning improperly maintained facilities and reports of an abandoned well. The complaint was received at the TCEQ’s Dallas-Fort Worth regional office and was assigned to environmental investigator Kendall Kotara for investigation.
According to a report published by TCEQ, an unannounced on-site investigation was conducted June 19 at the city of Reno wells. The claims of improperly maintained facilities were deemed to be correct as was the allegation of an abandoned well site. The two violations and two additional issues were noted in Kotara’s investigation. The complaint alleged that all well sites for the city of Reno were improperly maintained for an extended period and expressed concerns for the safety of the water due to the lack of facility maintenance by the water system.
Kotara and TCEQ environmental investigator Samantha Montes-Mojica arrived unannounced to investigate the water system. After visiting each site, Kotara and Montes-Mojica noted that well site two had significant vegetative growth on the fence line and barbed wiring. In some sections, there was loose or down barbed wiring plus there were significant gaps in the fence at the gate and the fence was leaning over in one area due to the overgrowth of vegetation. The door to the pump house was missing and all disinfectant chemicals appear to be sheltered from the elements.
