I mean, I knew the Trinity River was already gross and sometimes it smells weird and does weird things at night like the occasional glowing and steaming, but that doesn't mean make it worse by treating it like Carrie and dumping pig blood all over it. I feel like they should be fined more and they should be responsible for cleaning it up. Then they really should be permanently shut down. Any company should have something for proper waste disposal especially if they are near a body of water that can feed into a larger one or anything that is used as a resource. Also, they were specifically told not to tamper with the pipe unless officials were present, which is not a hard task. All they had to do was ask someone to be there but they just could not wait. I think that they should get charged more than what they are getting and be 100% accountable for their actions and responsible for cleaning up that disgusting mess.
This is in reference to a report on WFAA, posted on December 26, 2012, by Matt Goodman of the Dallas County News, which stated “Grand Jury indicts plant that leak pig blood in the Trinity River.” When the discovery by an aerial video hobbyist, in December 2011, showed something dark red flowing in the river, a city health investigator who located a 99-year old family owned pig slaughter plant, heard a sudden volume of water increase, which turned the river suddenly blood red. I found it hard to believe when the family members running the plant, said the discharge was accidental, because of a stopped up pipe. They did not even cooperate with authorities when told not to excavate any pipes without proper authorities present; however they proceeded to do so anyway, which removed all the evidence. I respect the fact that a home owned plant had existed since 1913, but I do not respect the fact that they did not face their responsibility, by law and as a good citizen, to maintain a properly approved disposal system, especially when they were located near a large body of resource water of such great importance to others. I feel that the investigation was thorough, and they should be held accountable for their actions, according to the indictments handed down by the Dallas County small Grand Jury.
"Columbia was indicted on six counts of unauthorized discharge of a waste or pollutant, a 3rd degree felony punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $250,000. The company was also indicted on two counts of tampering with physical evidence, another 3rd degree felony that carries a fine of up to $20,000 on each count." I feel that finally something more than a small fine was done here. For example, "They could each be jailed between two and 10 years on each, and fined by as much as $10,000." I believe they deserve jail time, because you never know where that water could end up. Also, many crime such as these go unnoticed or forgotton about. However, this plant was about to be shut down. They were told not to mess with the pipe, and they decided to do it anyways. They probably had a lot to hide then and needed to be stopped. I am glad the plant was caught "red" handed.
The Ondrusek family got what they deserved. Even if the discharge was accidental, as the company stated, they went ahead and excavated a different pipe without the consent of officials, which is pretty suspect. If already under the radar, why do something else that was specifically said should not have be done without the presence of the city, especially to a pipe that the city considered as hidden? I believe that even if they knew about the discharge they would have still continued with the same process. The digging out of the pipe that wasn't supposed to be tampered with is enough proof that there were things that the meat packing company did not want authorities to see. The fact that the blood, gloves , hair and flesh were discharged into the Trinity River is rather disgusting and could lead to being harmful. It was irresponsible for the company to not cooperate with the city, therefore the consequences that they face are not a bit harsh. Every indictment was necessary against this people responsible for the discharging of the waste. Thankfully, this did not get looked over due to what money, resources, or history the Ondrusek family and it's business may have.
Columbia Packing was caught breaking the law. Let’s hope that their punishment is more than a small fine and probation. There are many crimes that are punished with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Criminals need to know that if they commit a crime they will be punished with more than a fine and probation. Columbia knew about the dumping because they put the drainpipe in to bypass the sewer system they were supposed to use. This illegal dumping could have been going on much longer than anyone knows. Columbia should be responsible for the cost of the cleanup and for some type of public service to teach or lecture to businesses and business students about corporate responsibility. Companies need to think about more than the bottom, they need to think about what they do to the environment. Money can be made and the company can be socially responsible to everyone.
Columbia was caught leaking pig blood into the trinity, but more likely they were probably doing other illegal stuff since they got away with this for so long. Imagine how many viruses were also leaked into the river and how do you forget or not notice a pipe was “stooped up “in your own company and the fact that they were told not to clear the pipe unless authorized authorizes were around but did not comply anyways you can more likely indicate that they didn’t care about the river anyways all the cared about was saving their butts and if they knew months before about the blood why was there nothing done about it? I think they should receive much harsher punishment and that the company be shut down for good because what about the area around the river, you know that there has to have been a smell coming from the blood.
Growing up there's always been something iffy about the Trinity River. It's horrible smell is also an ongoing joke in my family. After reading the article, I'm disgusted with the lack of responsibility the company has shown. I'm sure this was no accident or sudden pump malfunction because of how the company attempted to hide the piping after being instructed not to. Luckily though there's been a "thorough investigation", so that excuse probably won't fly in court. The fact that the Ondresuk family trying to play innocent by saying the discharge was accidental is just not acceptable. Looking at the amount of blood from the aerial picture makes me believe that there was no way possible for this to be an "accident" that no one in the company wouldn't have noticed. I don't blame the city for not telling warning the company, because a crime that is linked to the Trinity River affects a lot of people, which probably makes this out of the city's jurisdiction anyways. After being disgusted, I get to thinking of what are the different uses for the Trinity River? In the news at the end of last year the Trinity was being transformed into a touristy type of boardwalk so I know there has been efforts to clean it up a bit, which is why I hope that the company will be responsible for cleaning up it's mess. There's no telling how long they've been doing this, hopefully not for the 99 years that it has been open. If so no wonder it stinks.
The Ondrusek family say they did not know about the malfunctioning pipe, but still went and had it removed. Their punishment is acceptable, I think they are getting what they deserved because either way having a leaking pipe into the trinity river is not okay. There is already much disgusting substances that go into the trinity river so that should be ceased to eliminate one thing that should not be polluting our waters.
Clearly the Ondrusek family are legally responsible for the damage and were in my opinion justly punished. They claim to not have know about the leakage, however, it is their property and they are responsible for what happens on it. If something is broken and leaking into federal or state land which is not supposed to, the Ondrusek family are to know about it and fix the problem. I personally think the Ondrusek family knew the ongoing problem was not resolved but were intent on keeping it under wraps for whatever reasons they believed acceptable. The family received are hard yet fair punishment taking into account the history of the situation.
The Ondrusek family is clearly guilty and deserves every indictment they receive. The city officials specifically told the Ondrusek family not to excavate the pipe without them present. Evidence shows that they did so anyway. This act helped to give Councilman Dwaine Carraway to shut the plant down for good. The family not only disobeyed county officials, but also did major harm to the environment. The discharging of swine blood into the Trinity River was very dangerous. The Ondrusek family has owned and operated this facility since its creation. The family should obviously know better than to discharge such substances in a public river. The river already has many dangerous and disgusting substances flowing through it. Some could be very dangerous to the surrounding area. Columbia was indicted of many deserving charges. “Columbia was indicted on six counts of unauthorized discharge of a waste or pollutant, a 3rd degree felony punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $250,000. The company was also indicted on two counts of tampering with physical evidence, another 3rd degree felony that carries a fine of up to $20,000 on each count.” The family and company should be left in charge of cleaning the mess as well as paying for each and every indictment listed above.
Ok let’s just all understand that this is very gross. How is it that a company can have a pipe that is not working properly and they not know it. How is it that this company knows that you are slaughtering pig and that there was a need for the drainage of blood, when slaughtering animals the drainage should be the most important aspect of the facility. I believe that this company has been doing this for years and felt that they could continue to get away with it until this investigation. Columbia packing company was informed by the city not to do certain things but they went ahead and did it anyway. It is completely wrong for the company to try and blame the problems on the city. The city didn’t inform this company on the leakage for the simple fact that the investigation could possibly lead to something even bigger than what the search originally began for. What most people do not know a lot of the food packing companies all have some issues and the reason that we do not know is that there has not been a reason for investigation bust the Columbia packing company is not the only company not following the city guidelines.
First off let me just admit, I have definitely done some bridge jumping/swimming in this river. Judging by the pictures, Councilman Caraway summed it up nicely. I wonder what Ondrusek would’ve gotten had he just followed the rules? He was told not to mess with the pipe, but he did it anyway. I believe it is choice theory; this company was able to function for an entire century, while obeying the rules. However this guy wanted to benefit from slaughtering pigs and not pay more for proper disposal. What I’m wondering is, how closely does the little creek help in the supply for drinking water? If not much, it is truly unfortunate that this man tampered with evidence and got into such deep trouble for such a worthless body of water. Either way it is unfortunate this man helped ruin the environment; plastic gloves are a bit much. I would have a little sympathy for this company if they hadn’t tampered with the evidence. That alone is the worst part of this entire scenario. Though it appears either way this poor sap would’ve ended up a felon. If one is ordered not to do something by an authoritive source, it would benefit one to listen.
The Ondrusek family are legally responsible for the damage and deserve every consequence they are given to them. Evidence showed that they "evacuated the pipe" without the city officials knowledge. By the looks of it, it appears it has been going on for a while and they weren't going to stop until obviously the investigation showed up. I feel that the Ondrusek family did in fact know that the leakage was going on and the fact that they never said anything and didn't care to fix it like they should have. They deserve to pay for all the damages and the clean up of the waters.
Columbia Packing Company (CPC) has a side of the story too. There was a leaking sewage pipe 100 yards from their building. Apparently the pipe was clogged. The day before they were served notice, they had plumbers come out and fix the pipe. People seem to want to jump on this company without realizing that it was possibly a simple mistake. Although I believe it was a mistake on their part, I also believe they should be fined for it. I'm more concerned about the 41 day gap. The city and the EPA knew about this and kept quiet about it for over a month. For a month they knew that sewage was leaking into the creek and said nothing to no one. I think they should be charged as well. They did not react quickly. The CPC release a video as well. I'm sure many will say it was an "act" or they were trying to get out of trouble but at least hear them out as well.
Very disturbing to know that trinity river was being contaminated by the blood of pigs. Already had a feeling Trinity river was tainted over the years. Now I don't want to be participating in any activities within that river. The Ondrusek family are fully accountable for there actions. It is mind pondering how a older company could not notice a dysfunctional pipe over time. Clearly the evidence taken the hobbyist has shown that the signs blood leakage were quite visible. The family should be fined and forced to take actions for tarnishing a popular river. How long have they been pumping dangerous claret material into a popular body of water? So absurd how this family was willing to damage the environment to save money. Is there greed worth the cost of the damaged caused long term? After all the hobbyist did film the video in December 2011. For some time the Environmental Protective Agency had some Intel of this case. Yet the agency hasn't done any actions until recently. I wonder how much longer before the Trinity river becomes nothing more then a concentration of hazardous material. The agency can only hope that the damages done so far are repairable.
I’ve never really thought much of the Trinity River but dumping pigs blood into it?? Seems like a little too much. This company should be held accountable for everything they placed into that river and should be personally responsible for cleaning it up. Especially after tampering with the pipes after they were told not to. There’s no telling where that water ends up and for them to so carelessly poor contaminates in it is extremely careless of the company. I do believe that their punishment was necessary because something like that isn’t really looked at as a big deal at times but the after effects can be quite scary.
Everyone who has grown up in the Dallas- Fort Worth area knows that the Trinity River is dirty and has notice the funky smell coming from it. It does not surprise me that pigs blood was being dumped into the Trinity River, but what actually surprises me is that a culprit was caught. The main reason for many companies who commit this crime is to cut cost, since if a company does not have to pay a waste water disposable company to get rid of their waste, the company ends up saving save tons of money. The Columbia Packaging Company claim of an accidental leakage must have not been a strong enough defense to convince the jury that it was just an accident. The state must have a strong case against the Columbia Packing Company, since it was able to get 18 indictments. I believe that the most damaging charge of them all is the charge of tampering with physical evidence. The Company clearly attempted to cover up their illegal act, even after they were warned to not remove the evidence without state officials present. The tampering of physical evidence also clearly shows that the dumping of pigs blood was not an accident, but intentional. Even though the Columbia Packaging Company and its management got indicted on 18 charges, I believe that the company is going to be offered a plea deal and would most likely just get a slap on the wrist and probably get probation, community service, or maybe just fine for the offense.
I mean, I knew the Trinity River was already gross and sometimes it smells weird and does weird things at night like the occasional glowing and steaming, but that doesn't mean make it worse by treating it like Carrie and dumping pig blood all over it. I feel like they should be fined more and they should be responsible for cleaning it up. Then they really should be permanently shut down. Any company should have something for proper waste disposal especially if they are near a body of water that can feed into a larger one or anything that is used as a resource.
ReplyDeleteAlso, they were specifically told not to tamper with the pipe unless officials were present, which is not a hard task. All they had to do was ask someone to be there but they just could not wait. I think that they should get charged more than what they are getting and be 100% accountable for their actions and responsible for cleaning up that disgusting mess.
This is in reference to a report on WFAA, posted on December 26, 2012, by Matt Goodman of the Dallas County News, which stated “Grand Jury indicts plant that leak pig blood in the Trinity River.”
ReplyDeleteWhen the discovery by an aerial video hobbyist, in December 2011, showed something dark red flowing in the river, a city health investigator who located a 99-year old family owned pig slaughter plant, heard a sudden volume of water increase, which turned the river suddenly blood red.
I found it hard to believe when the family members running the plant, said the discharge was accidental, because of a stopped up pipe. They did not even cooperate with authorities when told not to excavate any pipes without proper authorities present; however they proceeded to do so anyway, which removed all the evidence.
I respect the fact that a home owned plant had existed since 1913, but I do not respect the fact that they did not face their responsibility, by law and as a good citizen, to maintain a properly approved disposal system, especially when they were located near a large body of resource water of such great importance to others.
I feel that the investigation was thorough, and they should be held accountable for their actions, according to the indictments handed down by the Dallas County small Grand Jury.
"Columbia was indicted on six counts of unauthorized discharge of a waste or pollutant, a 3rd degree felony punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $250,000. The company was also indicted on two counts of tampering with physical evidence, another 3rd degree felony that carries a fine of up to $20,000 on each count." I feel that finally something more than a small fine was done here. For example, "They could each be jailed between two and 10 years on each, and fined by as much as $10,000." I believe they deserve jail time, because you never know where that water could end up. Also, many crime such as these go unnoticed or forgotton about. However, this plant was about to be shut down. They were told not to mess with the pipe, and they decided to do it anyways. They probably had a lot to hide then and needed to be stopped. I am glad the plant was caught "red" handed.
ReplyDeleteThe Ondrusek family got what they deserved. Even if the discharge was accidental, as the company stated, they went ahead and excavated a different pipe without the consent of officials, which is pretty suspect. If already under the radar, why do something else that was specifically said should not have be done without the presence of the city, especially to a pipe that the city considered as hidden? I believe that even if they knew about the discharge they would have still continued with the same process. The digging out of the pipe that wasn't supposed to be tampered with is enough proof that there were things that the meat packing company did not want authorities to see. The fact that the blood, gloves , hair and flesh were discharged into the Trinity River is rather disgusting and could lead to being harmful. It was irresponsible for the company to not cooperate with the city, therefore the consequences that they face are not a bit harsh. Every indictment was necessary against this people responsible for the discharging of the waste. Thankfully, this did not get looked over due to what money, resources, or history the Ondrusek family and it's business may have.
ReplyDeleteColumbia Packing was caught breaking the law. Let’s hope that their punishment is more than a small fine and probation. There are many crimes that are punished with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Criminals need to know that if they commit a crime they will be punished with more than a fine and probation.
ReplyDeleteColumbia knew about the dumping because they put the drainpipe in to bypass the sewer system they were supposed to use. This illegal dumping could have been going on much longer than anyone knows.
Columbia should be responsible for the cost of the cleanup and for some type of public service to teach or lecture to businesses and business students about corporate responsibility. Companies need to think about more than the bottom, they need to think about what they do to the environment. Money can be made and the company can be socially responsible to everyone.
Columbia was caught leaking pig blood into the trinity, but more likely they were probably doing other illegal stuff since they got away with this for so long. Imagine how many viruses were also leaked into the river and how do you forget or not notice a pipe was “stooped up “in your own company and the fact that they were told not to clear the pipe unless authorized authorizes were around but did not comply anyways you can more likely indicate that they didn’t care about the river anyways all the cared about was saving their butts and if they knew months before about the blood why was there nothing done about it? I think they should receive much harsher punishment and that the company be shut down for good because what about the area around the river, you know that there has to have been a smell coming from the blood.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up there's always been something iffy about the Trinity River. It's horrible smell is also an ongoing joke in my family. After reading the article, I'm disgusted with the lack of responsibility the company has shown. I'm sure this was no accident or sudden pump malfunction because of how the company attempted to hide the piping after being instructed not to. Luckily though there's been a "thorough investigation", so that excuse probably won't fly in court. The fact that the Ondresuk family trying to play innocent by saying the discharge was accidental is just not acceptable. Looking at the amount of blood from the aerial picture makes me believe that there was no way possible for this to be an "accident" that no one in the company wouldn't have noticed. I don't blame the city for not telling warning the company, because a crime that is linked to the Trinity River affects a lot of people, which probably makes this out of the city's jurisdiction anyways. After being disgusted, I get to thinking of what are the different uses for the Trinity River? In the news at the end of last year the Trinity was being transformed into a touristy type of boardwalk so I know there has been efforts to clean it up a bit, which is why I hope that the company will be responsible for cleaning up it's mess. There's no telling how long they've been doing this, hopefully not for the 99 years that it has been open. If so no wonder it stinks.
ReplyDeleteThe Ondrusek family say they did not know about the malfunctioning pipe, but still went and had it removed. Their punishment is acceptable, I think they are getting what they deserved because either way having a leaking pipe into the trinity river is not okay. There is already much disgusting substances that go into the trinity river so that should be ceased to eliminate one thing that should not be polluting our waters.
ReplyDeleteClearly the Ondrusek family are legally responsible for the damage and were in my opinion justly punished. They claim to not have know about the leakage, however, it is their property and they are responsible for what happens on it. If something is broken and leaking into federal or state land which is not supposed to, the Ondrusek family are to know about it and fix the problem. I personally think the Ondrusek family knew the ongoing problem was not resolved but were intent on keeping it under wraps for whatever reasons they believed acceptable. The family received are hard yet fair punishment taking into account the history of the situation.
ReplyDeleteThe Ondrusek family is clearly guilty and deserves every indictment they receive. The city officials specifically told the Ondrusek family not to excavate the pipe without them present. Evidence shows that they did so anyway. This act helped to give Councilman Dwaine Carraway to shut the plant down for good. The family not only disobeyed county officials, but also did major harm to the environment. The discharging of swine blood into the Trinity River was very dangerous. The Ondrusek family has owned and operated this facility since its creation. The family should obviously know better than to discharge such substances in a public river. The river already has many dangerous and disgusting substances flowing through it. Some could be very dangerous to the surrounding area. Columbia was indicted of many deserving charges. “Columbia was indicted on six counts of unauthorized discharge of a waste or pollutant, a 3rd degree felony punishable by a fine between $1,000 and $250,000. The company was also indicted on two counts of tampering with physical evidence, another 3rd degree felony that carries a fine of up to $20,000 on each count.” The family and company should be left in charge of cleaning the mess as well as paying for each and every indictment listed above.
ReplyDeleteOk let’s just all understand that this is very gross. How is it that a company can have a pipe that is not working properly and they not know it. How is it that this company knows that you are slaughtering pig and that there was a need for the drainage of blood, when slaughtering animals the drainage should be the most important aspect of the facility. I believe that this company has been doing this for years and felt that they could continue to get away with it until this investigation. Columbia packing company was informed by the city not to do certain things but they went ahead and did it anyway. It is completely wrong for the company to try and blame the problems on the city. The city didn’t inform this company on the leakage for the simple fact that the investigation could possibly lead to something even bigger than what the search originally began for. What most people do not know a lot of the food packing companies all have some issues and the reason that we do not know is that there has not been a reason for investigation bust the Columbia packing company is not the only company not following the city guidelines.
ReplyDeleteFirst off let me just admit, I have definitely done some bridge jumping/swimming in this river. Judging by the pictures, Councilman Caraway summed it up nicely. I wonder what Ondrusek would’ve gotten had he just followed the rules? He was told not to mess with the pipe, but he did it anyway. I believe it is choice theory; this company was able to function for an entire century, while obeying the rules. However this guy wanted to benefit from slaughtering pigs and not pay more for proper disposal. What I’m wondering is, how closely does the little creek help in the supply for drinking water? If not much, it is truly unfortunate that this man tampered with evidence and got into such deep trouble for such a worthless body of water. Either way it is unfortunate this man helped ruin the environment; plastic gloves are a bit much. I would have a little sympathy for this company if they hadn’t tampered with the evidence. That alone is the worst part of this entire scenario. Though it appears either way this poor sap would’ve ended up a felon. If one is ordered not to do something by an authoritive source, it would benefit one to listen.
ReplyDeleteThe Ondrusek family are legally responsible for the damage and deserve every consequence they are given to them. Evidence showed that they "evacuated the pipe" without the city officials knowledge. By the looks of it, it appears it has been going on for a while and they weren't going to stop until obviously the investigation showed up. I feel that the Ondrusek family did in fact know that the leakage was going on and the fact that they never said anything and didn't care to fix it like they should have. They deserve to pay for all the damages and the clean up of the waters.
ReplyDeleteColumbia Packing Company (CPC) has a side of the story too. There was a leaking sewage pipe 100 yards from their building. Apparently the pipe was clogged. The day before they were served notice, they had plumbers come out and fix the pipe. People seem to want to jump on this company without realizing that it was possibly a simple mistake. Although I believe it was a mistake on their part, I also believe they should be fined for it. I'm more concerned about the 41 day gap. The city and the EPA knew about this and kept quiet about it for over a month. For a month they knew that sewage was leaking into the creek and said nothing to no one. I think they should be charged as well. They did not react quickly. The CPC release a video as well. I'm sure many will say it was an "act" or they were trying to get out of trouble but at least hear them out as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-SGE5AHlns
Very disturbing to know that trinity river was being contaminated by the blood of pigs. Already had a feeling Trinity river was tainted over the years. Now I don't want to be participating in any activities within that river. The Ondrusek family are fully accountable for there actions. It is mind pondering how a older company could not notice a dysfunctional pipe over time. Clearly the evidence taken the hobbyist has shown that the signs blood leakage were quite visible. The family should be fined and forced to take actions for tarnishing a popular river. How long have they been pumping dangerous claret material into a popular body of water? So absurd how this family was willing to damage the environment to save money. Is there greed worth the cost of the damaged caused long term? After all the hobbyist did film the video in December 2011. For some time the Environmental Protective Agency had some Intel of this case. Yet the agency hasn't done any actions until recently. I wonder how much longer before the Trinity river becomes nothing more then a concentration of hazardous material. The agency can only hope that the damages done so far are repairable.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never really thought much of the Trinity River but dumping pigs blood into it?? Seems like a little too much. This company should be held accountable for everything they placed into that river and should be personally responsible for cleaning it up. Especially after tampering with the pipes after they were told not to. There’s no telling where that water ends up and for them to so carelessly poor contaminates in it is extremely careless of the company. I do believe that their punishment was necessary because something like that isn’t really looked at as a big deal at times but the after effects can be quite scary.
ReplyDeleteEveryone who has grown up in the Dallas- Fort Worth area knows that the Trinity River is dirty and has notice the funky smell coming from it. It does not surprise me that pigs blood was being dumped into the Trinity River, but what actually surprises me is that a culprit was caught. The main reason for many companies who commit this crime is to cut cost, since if a company does not have to pay a waste water disposable company to get rid of their waste, the company ends up saving save tons of money. The Columbia Packaging Company claim of an accidental leakage must have not been a strong enough defense to convince the jury that it was just an accident. The state must have a strong case against the Columbia Packing Company, since it was able to get 18 indictments. I believe that the most damaging charge of them all is the charge of tampering with physical evidence. The Company clearly attempted to cover up their illegal act, even after they were warned to not remove the evidence without state officials present. The tampering of physical evidence also clearly shows that the dumping of pigs blood was not an accident, but intentional. Even though the Columbia Packaging Company and its management got indicted on 18 charges, I believe that the company is going to be offered a plea deal and would most likely just get a slap on the wrist and probably get probation, community service, or maybe just fine for the offense.
ReplyDelete