The pipe belonged to Tesla. The dark liquid was wastewater from the company's nearly $1 billion lithium refinery, which began operations in December 2024 and
    • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1 hour

      I mean you’re probably not wrong. I figure the drainage district will get some upgrades to their ditch and maybe since this has so much coverage there will be increased scrutiny for a while.

    • Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      4 hours

      Who would play the young upstart that idolizes/challenges a grizzled and worn out Julia Roberts?

  • zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    7 hours

    Who is going to drink the forbidden juice? At least it will cure your depression.

  • X@piefed.worldEnglish
    13 hours

    Per the article:

    The sample was collected on April 7. Eurofins issued its results on April 10. According to the lab report, the 24-hour composite found:

    • Hexavalent chromium at 0.0104 milligrams per liter, just above the lab’s reporting limit of 0.01 mg/L. Hexavalent chromium is classified as a known human carcinogen by the US National Toxicology Program. It is the substance the Erin Brockovich case was built around.

    • Arsenic at 0.0025 mg/L. That is below the federal drinking water standard of 0.01 mg/L, but present.

    • Strontium at 1.17 mg/L. Mazloum’s technical report on the findings noted that long-term exposure can affect bone density and kidney function in humans and wildlife.

    • Lithium and vanadium at concentrations Lazarte’s letter described as abnormally high relative to rainwater or normal groundwater.

    • Elevated levels of manganese, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and potassium consistent with industrial discharge. Manganese, a battery process tracer, can have neurological effects at chronic doses. Excess phosphorus can cause algae blooms that strip oxygen from waterways.

    • Ammonia in the form of nitrogen at 1.68 mg/L, amplifying the algae bloom risk

  • radiofreebc@lemmy.worldEnglish
    14 hours

    So, which entry-level employee with no ability to be responsible for this will be fired, and how big will the fine they won’t have to pay be?

    • kunaltyagi@programming.devEnglish
      6 hours

      Companies don’t make structural mistakes. They are famously individualistic and unorganized and all illegal acts are by lone wolves and bad apples. All good work is done by CEO or the board. The rest of the individuals are parasites

      /s in case someone needs

      • john_t@piefed.eeEnglish
        7 hours

        Sure he’s not dead? He’s already been a bloated decomposing body for years.

        • Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          4 hours

          Seriously. The dudes thorax looks like he’s had extra organs installed ‘just in case’.

          He needs two livers to process all the research chems he probably stacks every day.

  • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    14 hours

    Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone accidentally crushed that pipe shut with a trackhoe.

    • jaybone@lemmy.zipEnglish
      9 hours

      pipe shut with a trackhoe

      I ran crosscountry in high school.

    • Wrufieotnak@feddit.orgEnglish
      10 hours

      Then it goes completely uncontrolled into the ground and is very hard to remove. What you want to do is to seal the pipe so the back flow happens inside the facility (assuming they didn’t completely butcher the pipe installation, which… you know… isn’t safe to assume)

  • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    13 hours

    I’d love to be hating on a company dumping wastewater as much as the next person but looking at the lab report results and the latest available public drinking water report (2024) for Robstown, where the factory is located. Assuming they use that water as the factory source water. These articles are blowing the water quality findings out of p. Arsenic was found at a higher level in the drinking water, than what the discharge water measured, for instances. Plus hexavalent chormium was 4 tenthousands higher then the limit, I wish the lab included their equipment accuracy. And that’s the 5mins I’m willing to spend on this research.

    *edit added Sources Nueces County water report. https://nueceswater3.com/water-quality-report

    ANALYTICAL REPORT https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28055380-j2673-1-uds-level-2-report-final-report/

    • baggachipz@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      4 hours

      In a college environmental class, I chose as a project to measure the groundwater contamination upstream and downstream of a poultry processing facility. To my amazement and disappointment, the water downstream was way cleaner.

    • FiniteBanjo@feddit.onlineEnglish
      8 hours

      Idgaf if the battery plant’s illegal discharge pipe is outputting pure potable springwater, it is an illegal discharge pipe.

    • frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish
      13 hours

      Yeah, so what’s the black stuff and why is the grass dying then? I guess they just need to expand what they’re testing for.

      Or conduct an inspection of the plant itself and find out what they’re using, and where that pipe goes.

      • TwodogsFighting@lemdro.idEnglish
        6 hours

        Have you not seen the Fifth Element? It’s the same black ooze that drips off Guiliani.

        Pure refined evil.

      • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        12 hours

        I should be more clear. I’m not saying there is no need to investigate further. Just that some of the reported findings seem overblown in the article’s I’ve read, in my opinion. There needs to be more information to answer your question. “Why is the grass dying?” Who knows, toxic chemical, or just water logged grass. Black looking water coming from a black pipe? Maybe it’s treated water and safe, maybe it’s not. Needs more information. I’m kind blown away that the lab didnt collect water at the discharge point.

        • BenevolentOne@infosec.pubEnglish
          4 hours

          Absolutely nobody gives a fuck.

          Crime scene, blood everywhere, factory owner should be charged for every pollutant found in a 10km radius on the assumption it came through that pipe at some point and we’ll walk it backwards from there.

            • finnadrag@lazysoci.alEnglish
              37 minutes

              A lot of people get off on hating musk, they only really want an excuse at this point. Like the very upvoted comment ‘I don’t care if it’s outputting pure spring water’.

              Nobody would care about this at all if it was any other company. ‘Company erodes county owned ditch without proper permit with water that would meet drinking water standards if you dilute it by half’. But people enjoy getting mad at musk so it gets clicks and upvotes. And of course this and every other comment that isn’t saying musk should be hanged for this will be downvoted because nuance is dead and if you’re not jerking off you’re an enemy of the circlejerk.

              • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                1 hour

                Yea. I mean large companies in the past do have a history of getting away with things until it just becomes too much, and also, Musk does put himself in a lot of topics. It’s understandable to see people firmly stand on one side of an argument.

                It’s the Internet we all have different viewpoints.

      • bluGill@fedia.io
        13 hours

        Nothing in the lab report. Everything in the lab report is far to low to be ‘black stuff’. So I don’t know and those who do are not talking.

        So far I have to go with this is nothing but haters trying to yell without concern for facts. If we get more details I may change my mind but for now this is nothing and anyone saying otherwise should be embarrassed for their lack of concern for facts.

        • deranger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          12 hours

          It’s still an illegal discharge. There are multiple things listed that are not good for the local environment. Even phosphorus and ammonia can be damaging by stimulating algae blooms.

          • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            12 hours

            It’s not though. TCEQ authorized a discharge water permit and has investigated the water discharge. Now, if people are being dishonest, that’s another story, that will likley be somthing we find out some years in the future. Your not wrong about algae blooms. Though, the lab didnt sample the water straight from the discharge source but further down the ditch. And thats all farmland around there. Farms use ammonia nitrate, as fertilizer.

            • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
              2 hours

              Oh wow the state of Texas authorized it? Well in that case I’m sure it’s fine! They’re renowned for their environmental safety and concern.

            • Armok_the_bunny@lemmy.worldEnglish
              12 hours

              Neither hexavalent chromium nor arsenic appears in Tesla’s TCEQ discharge permit as an allowable pollutant. Neither was tested for during TCEQ’s February investigation.

            • deranger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              12 hours

              What it did not do, explicitly, was grant Tesla the right to use public or private property for wastewater conveyance.

    • Big_Boss_77@fedinsfw.appEnglish
      12 hours

      Your reports are interesting…but unless I missed it (I did skim fairly quickly), I’d be curious to see what the data looked like before the plant went up.

      • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        11 hours

        That would be an interesting comparision. I know what you mean, but just for the sake of clarity when people read this, those arent my reports. Just the public data I could locate.

    • sakphul@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      7 hours

      Thanks a lot for sharing/linking this information! Adding more context to the article is very good. I would have assumed that the article would link to such reports. I definetly need to read through this.

      • DevoidWisdom@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        33 minutes

        The article linked to another article that linked to the lab report mentioned. The county water report I found through googling “Robstown drinking water report.” There is actually a local news station video report that shows the ditch, water, pipe, etc. If people actually want to know these things they can find them. 🫣 That’s really why I made my inital post. How many comments are blind rage and how many are concerned enough to look atlittle deeper.