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AUSTIN (KXAN) – The city of Austin is suing Walgreens over one of their shop toilets in court after neighbors complained about leakage of raw sewage on the property.
The store is located at 5819 Burnet Road in Allandale. John Vela owns the Sunset Canyon Pottery next door.
“They had a problem with the sewage not flowing through the system and bubbling through the ground,” said Vela.
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The city sued the corporate giant four times this year for sewage leaks from a pipe connected to the store’s bathroom. According to emails from KXAN, employees found an “active discharge with a strong odor”.
Vela said the sewage regularly leaks on the southwest corner of Walgreens property, with Vela’s business going straight downhill. His major concern is the drainage when it rains.
He said: “Since the smell comes and the sewage comes through, I am worried about my employees, myself and neighboring companies.”
This also includes a nearby school.
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Austin’s Watershed Protection Department noted that Walgreens tried to fix the problem, but the solutions were short-lived.
“First, Walgreens pumped out the lift station and pump area of the mill and took care of the functionality of the electrical system to make sure the pumps were working properly,” said a department spokesman. “The contractor’s initial repairs did not seem to permanently solve the problem.”
Watershed Protection estimates that by that point 50 gallons of sewage had leaked from the property. The city is now filing a second class C misdemeanor charge against Walgreens in Austin City Court. Each charge comes with a fine of up to $ 2,000.
Walgreens Store Management referred us to their corporate office.
“We decline to comment on pending litigation,” said a company spokesman in an email to KXAN.
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Austin City Council member Leslie Pool represents District 7 where the store is located.
“It is unfortunate that the problems persist on this Walgreens property after so long working with our city environmental inspectors; They have long been demanding compliance with these regulations, ”she said in a statement. “I am particularly grateful to our residents like John Vela, who recognize and report pollution problems.”
From here, the city says Walgreens will be summoned to court and will make a plea. If it pleads guilty or fails to file a plea, the court will set fines, costs and fees. If the company makes a plea not guilty, the case will be brought to court by a judge or jury.
There is currently no set date for Walgreens to appear in court.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/city-of-austin-takes-walgreens-to-court-over-store-bathroom/
