Garland TX (3/10/2015) – A Garland man was arrested Monday on charges of unauthorized discharge.

Parker County Sheriff?s deputies responded to a call in the 1700 western block of Farm-to-Market Road 1885 in reference to a commercial truck allegedly dumping oil into a drainage ditch.

Upon arrival, the deputies met with the driver, Jimmy Williams, who told them his truck had gotten stuck in the mud on the side of the road.

The sheriff?s office dispatched Environmental Crimes investigators to the scene. Williams told investigators that he was hauling used cooking oil and grease and that he thought he could get the truck out of the mud if he lightened the load. He then proceeded to dump around 100 gallons of oil into the water in the ditch, according to deputies.

The ditch, which had moving water in it, carried the mixture about a quarter mile down the road. The watershed feeds the lake in Mineral Wells State Park. The company who reportedly owns the vehicle, Texas BiProducts, was contacted and TAS Environmental, a private clean-up company, arrived at the scene and began cleaning up the site.
Williams was released on a $15,000 bond from the Parker County Jail Tuesday.

Unauthorized discharge is a felony violation of the Texas Water Code.

?People should understand that it is a serious crime to dump pollutants in our environment,? Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said.

http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com/news/man-arrested-for-dumping-oil-grease-into-drainage-ditch/article_dbe62f62-c76c-11e4-a72f-cf0a3d1e8a90.html