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TEXAS COMPANY OWNER INDICTED ON CONSPIRACY AND WATER CHARGES
Release Date: 08/05/99
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- United States Communications, Education,
Environmental Protection And Media Relations
Agency (1703)
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1999
TEXAS COMPANY OWNER INDICTED ON
CONSPIRACY AND WATER CHARGES
CONSPIRACY AND WATER CHARGES
Gary Lynn Wallace of New Caney, Texas, was indicted on July 27, in U.S. District Court in Houston on charges of conspiracy and for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Wallace owned and operated E. Henderson Grease and Septic Tank Cleaning Service in New Caney. The charges allege that from 1996 until July 1, 1999, Wallace directed his employees to dump sewage and other septic waste into the San Jacinto and Trinity Rivers. The San Jacinto River flows into Lake Houston which is Houston’s major source of drinking water. Sewage contains E. coli and other bacteria and pathogens which can cause a variety of infections when ingested. If convicted, Wallace faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge and up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the four CWA charges. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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