Drainage District: Tesla discharging “black” water into ditch connected to Petronila Creek and Baffin Bay

Nueces County Drainage District No. 2 says it has discovered a pipe discharging “very dark and murky” water into a drainage ditch the district maintains near Robstown – without the district’s knowledge. A district consultant says the discharge is tied to Tesla’s lithium refinery in Robstown.

District workers described finding the “black” wastewater during routine maintenance and being unable to verify what was being released. Reports indicate that Tesla holds a state permit authorizing discharge of treated wastewater into an unnamed ditch that flows toward Petronila Creek, but that the permit does not grant a right to use public or private property to convey wastewater along the route. According to an attorney for Drainage District No. 2, Tesla never sought permission to utilize the district's easement or notified the district of the discharge.

Drainage District No. 2 says Tesla has provided test results that are under review, while the district is planning independent sampling. Tesla has declined to comment. Petronila Creek flows into Baffin Bay, a critical ecosystem that has long been the subject of environmental concerns.

Read more from KRIS-6 Investigates reporters Rachel Denny Crow and Stephanie Molina.