"The drainage district that commissioned the test has now sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tesla’s operations, near Corpus Christi."
"After Texas regulators said Tesla’s lithium refinery near Corpus Christi wasn’t violating its permits by discharging what local officials reported as black wastewater into a drainage ditch, independent water testing there this month found two toxic metals and other contaminants.
Eurofins Environment Testing, an accredited lab with locations across the globe, reported traces of hexavalent chromium, a well-known carcinogen, and arsenic, an environmental poison. Nueces County Drainage District No. 2, which manages the ditch, commissioned the test.
Neither hexavalent chromium nor arsenic is included as an allowable discharge pollutant in Tesla’s wastewater permit.
“The results are quite disturbing,” wrote Frank Lazarte, an attorney representing Nueces County Drainage District No. 2, in a cease and desist letter to Tesla’s associate general counsel last week. The district is asking Tesla to stop discharging wastewater into the ditch until they can discuss the lab results."
Arcelia Martin reports for Inside Climate News April 21, 2026.
