DeWalch Technologies was founded in 1982 and focuses on “specialty meter locking hardware.”The person alleged the company was “dumping their cutting oil out the bay door or in the back over the drain.” When the former employee brought their concerns to the attention of human resources, the representative said, “she knew,” the owner might be illegally dumping chemicals.
In August, according to the documents KPRC 2 obtained, an HPD investigator visited the site and noticed stains on the back bay doors consistent with what the former employee told them. “It’s gross. It’s not just gross, it’s scary,” said Becky Smith, Texas Director for Clean Water Action. “Although these are allegations of pollution. The fact that the city of Houston and possibly the state of Texas have investigators who are looking to identify environmental crimes have gotten this far and are asking for the right to go in and inspect the facility tells me this is at a very serious level.
“This always ends up in water,” Smith said. “When it flows downstream no matter what kind of treatment it does or does not get. So, if it goes to our sewer, it gets treated like wastewater. There are processes for that, but this is not what, the systems are not created to treat these chemicals.”