State sues owner of tire dump

SAN BENITO — A man who operated what authorities say was an unauthorized waste storage site where thousands of tires burned for days this summer has been sued by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

The waste storage site owned by Bobby Ray Waldrep caught fire on Aug. 1 and burned more than 20,000 tires. It cost Cameron County and the city of San Benito more than $10,000 to extinguish the blaze, authorities said.

The Attorney General’s Office is seeking $25,000 in civil penalties from Waldrep and Waldrep Salvage for each day it operated in violation of environmental laws, authorities said.

Waldrep and Waldrep Salvage are accused of violating the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act and failing to comply with Texas environmental laws.

Waldrep is accused of allowing dangerous conditions to continue to exist, leading to the fire that Cameron County officials called the worst tire fire in the county’s history.

According to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, persons who intend to operate waste facilities must obtain the necessary state permits, which the attorney general’s office said Waldrep failed to do.

Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Humberto Barrera said Friday that the civil lawsuit sends a message to persons who operate an illegal dumpsite.

"Contaminating our roads, our cities, our ranchlands will not be tolerated," Barrera said. "It is we today who bear the responsibility of taking care of our environment for our children."

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials stated in August that Waldrep had been operating his tire site on 20 acres on Barlow Road since 2002.

Immediately after the fire, county officials tried to locate Waldrep for questioning, but he could not be found.

Waldrep was later charged with a criminal count of illegal dumping and was arrested on Aug. 12 in Brownwood, about 130 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

Waldrep was arrested there on a local misdemeanor public nuisance charge and Cameron County’s illegal dumping charge.

According to Brownwood officials, Waldrep posted a $20,000 bond and was released the same day as his arrest.

Cameron County officials said Friday that Waldrep is known to be in the county at times and outside the county at other times.

Waldrep has had a lengthy history with TCEQ, dating back almost a decade and spanning areas from Orange County, near the Louisiana state line, to Cameron County, all related to dump sites, according to TCEQ officials.