Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee Files Lawsuit Against Concrete Batch Plant in Local Neighborhood
The Harris County Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit against HM South Texas Concrete, LLC for illegally operating a concrete batch plant near a residential area in the southern part of Harris County. Despite repeated warnings over the course of several years, South Texas Concrete has accumulated extensive environmental violations that threaten public health and the environment.
The concrete batch plant at 3935 Schurmier Road, Houston, Texas is located in close proximity to a residential neighborhood, jeopardizing the health and safety of vulnerable residents through potential harmful exposure to pollution.
“South Texas Concrete has blatantly disregarded the law time and time again. They’ve had multiple opportunities to clean up their act and correct these concerns, but they’ve failed to do so,” said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. “Too many Harris County neighborhoods face environmental threats like this—we won’t let companies put profits over people’s health and safety. My office will continue to work to hold facilities like this accountable and advocate for the people who live and work nearby.”
County inspections revealed that the facility has been emitting heavy dust without proper controls. Investigators found prohibited dust control equipment in use at the site and discovered a discharge of high pH water into nearby waterways. These elevated pH levels indicate that the facility has been discharging wastewater without required authorization, further violating environmental regulations.
The county is seeking court intervention to require HM South Texas Concrete to immediately cease all illegal operations that violate state permits. The lawsuit aims to ensure the facility implements proper environmental safeguards, obtains all necessary permits, and performs required cleanup measures to protect surrounding communities. Under the Texas Water Code, the company could face penalties of up to $25,000 per day for each violation.