[Imc-north-texas-discuss] Re: City of Marlin

[Tom Hardin]

Mr. Monreal,
 The mailing address is as follows:
Tom Hardin
9211 N. Council Rd. #704
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
Phone: 405-721-8689
 Do you have any reports available that will show me test results on both
sides--Marlin side and Hobby Unit side--of the polishing unit that was put
in place to filter the water going to the Hobby Unit from the Marlin water
supply?  I'm sure that your office would want to be sure that the polishing
unit installed by TDCJ is adequately filtering the contaminated water from
the Marlin water supply so that inmates, corrections officers, and staff at
the Hobby unit aren't sickened by drinking water that has a long history of
contamination problems.
 Can you send me a report showing where the alternative source of water
supplied to the Hobby Unit in the event of high contamination or low water
level in the Marlin reservoir is located? Do you have reports indicating
that such an alternative water source is monitored by TCEQ and what the
water quality inventory shows the contamination level in the alternate
reservoir to be?
 Also, do you have any idea who is responsible for testing the water in the
storage tanks at the Hobby Unit, and when the most recent tests of that
water were conducted and recorded? Are any reports available that will show
me when the water tanks at the prison were last cleaned and decontaminated?
How often is the water system at the prison flushed and disinfected? Several
different inmates at the Hobby Unit are telling me that the water coming out
of the faucets in their cells stinks and is yellowish-brown in color. How
can this be the case if the Marlin water supply is contaminant free and safe
to drink?
 Another question that I have regards the old rusty water truck that is used
to haul water to the prison from the so-called alternate water source. Can
you show me a report where that truck was last inspected and declared to
qualify as a common carrier that is regularly inspected and decontaminated
in accordance with Texas law? Can you show me a report indicating that the
prison officials who are in charge of maintaining the water system at the
Hobby Unit and the driver of the truck used to haul water from the alternate
source are all in possession of current state issued Class C licenses as
required in the Texas Public Health Code?
 According to a Public Confidence Report compiled by the City of Marlin and
furnished to me through a friend who received it from an assistant warden at
the Hobby Unit, the contamination in the Marlin reservoir took a drastic
drop after the first of this year. However, EPA reports that I obtained from
the internet show that the Marlin Water Dept. was in violation of federal
standards right up until the time the polishing unit was installed. Where
are the water quality inventory reports from TCEQ and the EPA for the latter
part of this year? And if the contamination in the Marlin reservoir had
taken such a drastic drop after the first of this year, why was it necessary
for the State of Texas to spend several thousand dollars installing the
polishing unit?
 I'm not trying to make accusations or incite panic, Mr. Monreal, but I do
have some serious questions about the quality of the water being supplied to
the Hobby Unit from the Marlin water supply being in compliance with state
and federal regulations. How long has it been since your office conducted
tests of the Marlin water supply, or does TCEQ rely solely on information
furnished to your office from the City of Marlin?
 I'm sure that your office would like for the taxpayers of Texas and the
citizens who have family members and loved ones incarcerated at the Hobby
Unit to have confidence that TCEQ is doing everything possible to insure
that the drinking water in Falls County is safe for all inhabitants of the
area to consume. If you can't furnish answers and reports to confirm those
answers to all the questions I have posed in this response to your email of
9/23/04, I would very much appreciate it if you could refer me to the state
or federal agency that could provide answers with current reports to back up
their answers to my questions.
 Thank you very much for responding to my inquiry.
Sincerely,
Tom Hardin



----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Monreal" <Rmonreal at tceq.state.tx.us>
To: <htexastom at gbronline.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2004 11:27 AM
Subject: City of Marlin


Mr. Hardin:
  I am the investigator that was assigned to your complaint regarding the
City of Marlin water system.  I would like to send you a copy of my report
with my investigation findings.  Please reply with a mailing address.

Richard Monreal
TCEQ- Waco Regional Office
(254) 751-0335