Killeen reviews drainage procedure Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 9 2009 05:57 AM By Justin Cox
Killeen Daily Herald

What goes down the drain stays down the drain – and eventually makes its way into local rivers and lakes.

It may seem obvious, but all that junk in the drains picked up by flowing water has to go somewhere, and the more of it there is, the bigger hazard it creates.

That's the firm position of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which is hammering that fact into the public conscience, and using a required city ordinance as the nail to drive it home.

The city of Killeen has been discussing an amendment of its municipal drainage ordinance to reduce the adverse effects of what the Environmental Protection Agency calls "illicit discharge."

After the issue made it through the federal process, Texas eventually became the 49th state to adopt the water pollution control measure, and is using the arm of the TCEQ to implement it.

Killeen must adopt the additions to the ordinance by Aug. 12.

The requirements include establishing appropriate enforcement procedures, a plant to detect and address non-stormwater discharges, specifically illegal dumping, and an educational outreach program to public employees, businesses and the public about the harmful effects of illicit discharge.

City Engineer John Nett said the restrictions include anything that's not water, including detergents of any kind.

"The TCEQ really doesn't help us out there; they didn't bother listing what detergents are acceptable," Nett said Tuesday in the City Council's workshop session. "It's going to be an ongoing process."

Nett said the requirements provide exemptions for individual vehicle owners washing their cars, but it leaves the details up to the city.

The drainage committee has discussed the topic at great length. Several members, including Councilman Kenny Wells, have some fundamental concerns about the practical impact of the ordinance, specifically the problems associated with enforcement.

The council will bring it back next week after city staff adjusts some of the language in the ordinance, and the council will go from there.

The EPA states that illicit discharges enter the system in a number of ways, but is often caused by waste outlets, paint, used oil and a number of other contaminants that contribute to untreated discharges, which contain high levels of pollutants, full of heavy metals, toxins, solvents, viruses and bacteria, most of which find their way into local bodies of water.

EPA studies revealed that in many municipalities, only about half of the water flowing into local systems comes directly from rain. That means much of it comes from washing and other water usage from private homeowners, businesses and construction sites through the "spray the problems down the drain approach."

Contact Justin Cox at jcox@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7568.