‘Trailer park’ owner gets prison time for dumping sewage onto Texas wildlife preserve

A Texas man accused of pumping human waste from an unauthorized trailer park into a wildlife preserve is going to prison, records show.

Jose Mario Rivas-Gomez, who was found guilty of intentionally or knowingly discharging waste, was sentenced to four years in prison, according to jail records.

Gomez had the choice to clean up the Jenna Welch I-20 Wildlife Preserve in Midland, Texas, or serve time in prison, KWES reported.

In January, investigators found piping leading from trailers to sewage pits in the wildlife preserve that were covered with pallets and boards, the Midland Reporter-Telegram reported.

Though the property owner believed Gomez was living there, he was actually collecting rent from people living in trailers, the newspaper reported.

The sewage pit was uphill from a lake in the wildlife preserve, KOSA reported.

In a statement shortly after Gomez was charged, the wildlife preserved urged residents to notify authorities of illegal dumping in a Facebook post.

“The problem of illegal waste dumping has grown with the influx of campgrounds serving the growing need for oilfield worker housing,” the wildlife preserve wrote. “Midland officials are working hard to alleviate the problem, and it is of great community service to notify city officials of illegal waste dumping.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 6:13 PM.