HOUSTON – Neighbors in the Sharpstown area said they've seen employees at a nearby food truck, Antojito Hondurenos, dumping something down a storm drain. It's located near Fondren and the Southwest Freeway.
Neighbor Amanda McWhiter showed Local 2 video she shot on her cellphone.
"Two men walked up carrying a large aluminum pot and very carefully poured it into the storm drain at the end of the driveway," McWhiter said.
McWhiter believes it wasn't just water.
"I can assume with some confidence it was grease, because it wasn't steaming when I walked up to the drain," said McWhiter.
Local 2 was there as Houston Health Department officials showed up to investigate Antojito Hondurenos. Health sanitarian Joshua Collins said it looked like the food truck was following the rules.
"I can't say they are dumping grease, especially if I don't see them," said Collins.
Local 2 showed the video to Collins who said it takes the investigation to a whole new level.
"It changes everything really," he said. "They can't do it, that is not allowed."
Collins said investigators had already been out once to check the storm drain, but didn't see anything suspicious. Now, the video gives them more to work with in their investigation.
Local 2 questioned Antojito Hondurenos' owner, who health officials said is Jose Trochez.
"He's wrong, the guy isn't pouring the grease," Trochez said.
He denies it's his employees in the video.
"Other people sell food outside in the night," said Trochez.
Houston Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Kathy Barton said food trucks are required to go to a licensed commissary each day they are in operation to clean, dump their used water and fill their clean water tanks. She said, any other method of water/grease disposal would be a violation of city ordinance and state law and could result in fines.
Even when showed the video, Trochez kept denying it was him or his employees. He did show Local 2 receipts of visits to the commissary, but health officials said even with that, corners could have been cut. Regardless of what was poured down the drain, Collins said it's illegal.
"You aren't allowed to do that, that's definitely going to cause problems for our drainage," Collins said.
"I do hope they remedy the situation and stop doing that because we do have a large problem with flooding," said McWhiter.
Houston Health Department officials said investigators who specialize in fats, oil and grease will test the water inside the drain to see what was poured down the drain.