Hill MURCHISON - The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is investigating city officials here after witnesses reported Mayor Mike Hill ordered the illegal burial of solid waste on government property.

The incident reportedly happened on or about July 12, when Hill told water operator Mark Moseley to bury what is believed to be empty paint cans and other metal containers on the property of Murchison's wastewater treatment plant.

"I heard the mayor stand there in City Hall and tell Mark Moseley to dig a hole and bury that stuff," former city secretary Sharon Chase said. "And I heard him say not to mow around that hole because the state's inspection of the sewer plant was coming up and he didn't want that area disturbed."

Chase resigned in August after accusing Hill of making city purchases without council approval, auctioning off city equipment without authorization and conducting other official business in secret.

She's also called for the FBI or Texas Rangers to launch an investigation into what she claims is missing public money from City Hall.

Chase has been providing information to the Statesman on circumstances surrounding the alleged burial of solid waste at the wastewater treatment plant for about two months.

Another witness who asked not to be identified because he is "not ready" said the hole where the metal waste was allegedly buried is about 12 feet in diameter and is in the southwest corner of the five-acre property, near Murchison School.

"I honestly don't know what's all in that hole, but I do know it's metal," he said. "It's a pretty big hole, and it's pretty obvious, too."

Under Texas law, municipalities and counties must either dispose of solid waste at a state-licensed or permitted facility or maintain their own such facilities. The penalties for illegally dumping waste range from civil citations to misdemeanor and felony convictions.

Remedies include compelling officials to simply reverse their actions or face fines that increase each day the government entity they represent is in violation of the state's environmental laws.

Chase said the empty paint cans and other containers used to store sewage-treatment chemicals believed to have been buried were once stored in a metal building at the wastewater treatment plant.

She claims to have taken photos of the waste and that she is sharing those images with Craig Conner, the TCEQ official who asked the Statesman to provide the names of witnesses who asked the newspaper to investigate the dump site.

The newspaper informed TCEQ it had been alerted to possible violations of environmental law at the wastewater treatment plant and asked the agency to respond to the allegations.

Connor called the Statesman less than 24 hours later to say he would ask witnesses to sign affidavits and that he would visit Murchison to "question" officials. Chase told the newspaper she promised Connor she would sign an affidavit accusing Murchison officials of illegally burying solid waste.

"I told him I would do it," she said. "This could bring down this little town - and I don't want that to happen - but people need to know what's been going on. These (Murchison officials) need to go."

The other witness suggested the alleged illegal dumping may be part of a larger problem.

"Anybody with common sense would know you can't do that," he said. "I really think we've got something going on here."

According to the minutes of a special meeting of the Murchison City Council on June 24, Hill said he needed someone to collect solid waste from the wastewater treatment plant "before the sewer inspection."

"Mayor Hill asks if any of the council knows of someone to pick up the trash and that they cannot pick or choose through it," the minutes show.

"He said Mr. Tillison of Hottco will let the city put the tires at his place of business and to get this done before the sewer inspection. Porter Kelly knows of a man by the name of Obie Jackson and gave the number to Diane Crutchfield to call.

"Megan Harville made a motion for Mr. Jackson to get rid of the trash at the sewer plant. Ann Boyles seconded. Motion carried."

Chase said Jackson carried at least one truck load of the waste to an unknown location. The rest, witnesses said, was buried in a hole at the wastewater treatment plant.

Hill has refused to respond to requests for comment on these allegations and others.

This isn't the first time TCEQ has investigated complaints from Murchison residents.

Agency records show it issued a "notice of violation " on March 18 "for failure to flush adequately to maintain water quality as well as other violations."

That determination came after the complainant reported discolored drinking water and that some residents were suffering from mouth sores and rashes.

At least seven other complaints since 2003 have been filed with TCEQ against Murchison, six of which were related to "dirty" water or improperlyworking lift stations.

All of the complaints were cleared by TCEQ with no citations issued.

The TCEQ's Web site is tceq.state.tx.us. To read the state's environmental laws, visit info.sos.state.tx.us.