Lufkin, TX — Since the original developer of the Redland Estates subdivision went bankrupt and left the state more than 20 years ago, a water treatment plant has sat in disrepair, allowing millions of gallons of raw sewage to be emptied into Paper Mill Creek and into Sam Rayburn Reservoir, according to officials. It also left residents in this neighborhood near U.S. 59 and Farm-to-Market Road 2021 with sewage flowing in drainage ditches near streets where children play.

With residents voting 33-6 on Saturday to join the Angelina County Water Supply District No. 1, officials hope they can solve the decades-old problems and provide better wastewater service.

“All this time, since (the late ’80s), no one has been operating the sewer treatment plant or the collection system,” said Kelley Holcomb, general manager of the Angelina and Neches River Authority, which manages the district and provides operations assistance by contract. “That essentially means that when they would have a clog in the sewer line, the sewer would back up into the pipe, run out into the ditches and cause health problems. That doesn’t include the treatment plant, which is down at the bottom of the hill. There’s no electricity; it’s been discharging raw sewage for many years. No one knows how long.”

Read more from the Lufkin Daily News here.