News Feature | October 5, 2016

Children Exposed To ‘Toxic Sewage' In San Antonio

Sara Jerome

By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje

A trailer park in San Antonio is facing a disastrous sewage contamination challenge.

Children at Oak Hollow Mobile Home Park are being exposed to “toxic sewage,” according to News 4 San Antonio. One child fell into the sewage, the report said. Residents say management has not been responsive, according to the report.

The League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was contacted by members of the mobile home park to intervene. “These families want to stay here, but we need to force the owner to be in compliance with city code,” said George Alejos with LULAC, per the news report.

Alejos described the tone of relations between residents and management. "Some of these people were threatened with the owner supposedly calling ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)," Alejos said, per KSAT. "Some of them have complained of being called, as one resident said, dirty people. ‘We want these dirty people out of here.’”

The city has taken some steps to intervene. Rod Sanchez, director of the Development Services Department, released an action plan including the following, per KSAT:

  • Issuing a three-day notice of violation for plumbing-related issues.
  • Having the city take the residents to court for noncompliance.
  • Issuing a notice to vacate, if necessary.
  • Partnering with the Department of Human Services to offer available assistance to residents.

Sewage issues at mobile home parks can present treatment challenges and risks. The Manassas City Council recently called a trailer park in Northern Virginia a public health hazard. Occupants were told they must vacate as “part of a deal brokered by the city of Manassas after the limited liability corporation that owns the park said it could not afford to fix leaks in its private sewage and water system that allow raw sewage to flow into the ground during heavy rains,” The Washington Post reported.

The U.S. EPA notes that raw sewage can carry major health risks including “bacteria, viruses, protozoa (parasitic organisms), helminths (intestinal worms), and borroughs (inhaled molds and fungi).”

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Sewers And Sewer Line Maintenance Solutions Center.