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But according to the article the permit is for dumping wastewater into a ditch. And Tesla appears to deliver the wastewater to that ditch by pipe. And it doesn't appear like the pipe is the topic of contention here, but where it ends and what comes out of it. All things that seem to be properly permitted, from what the article is telling us

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They have a permit to dump water but not put it in the ditch where the pipe runs.

They need to get it to a body of water, not a ditch. Dumping into the drainage ditch or running a pipe in the drainage ditch requires a separate permit.

The water quality is also questionable. Tesla and the drainage company are at odds on the testing method.

At least that’s my understanding of the situation

Doesn't the article state that "The permit, a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System authorization known as TPDES, allowed up to 231,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day to be discharged into an unnamed ditch..."?

They don’t own the drainage ditch. They can still dump the water into the local watershed/river whatever body of water per the permit you stated.

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