Nearly 80 truckloads of treated pecan shells were dumped at the El Paso area landfill

SOCORRO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — On Monday, El Paso Water began transporting the pecan shells on its property to the Greater El Paso Landfill, also known as the Clint Landfill.

The pecan shells are believed to be the food source for the flour beetle infestation that Socorro residents have been dealing with since August.

An El Paso Water spokesperson told KFOX14/CBS4 that the utility has received a permit from the landfill to dispose of the shells.

Nick Ybarra, the city of El Paso's environmental director, said the utility had to treat the shells before the permit was granted.

The city of El Paso oversees the landfill and Ybarra said anyone dumping waste at the landfill needs a permit.

Ybarra said the water company provided proof that the mussels were treated with the appropriate pesticide before being transported.

An El Paso Water spokesperson told KFOX14/CBS4, “Crews treated the property with pesticides for approximately two weeks while also tilling the soil to ensure effectiveness.”

According to landfill officials, about 80 truckloads of shells have been dumped and more are expected.

Ybarra explained that once the trucks reached the landfill, they were directed to the dumping area where workers worked nonstop to spread the trash across the land.

The area where the trash is dumped is covered with either dirt or a layer of papier-mâché material approved by the State of Texas.

Peter Ellsworth, a professor at the University of Arizona and a specialist, confirmed that spraying and burying the mussels was the right way to dispose of them and stop the infestation.

Ybarra said this is not the first time the landfill has faced difficult waste disposal, but the state's strict protocols prevented other infestations or contamination from spreading.

Meanwhile, some Socorro residents said they've seen fewer beetles.

El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin said the county will continue to monitor the situation and there are no current plans to distribute additional pesticides to residents.

Holguin confirmed to her that the county had distributed 1,000 gallons of pesticide to residents, twice as many affected homes as reported by the city of Socorro.

Our teams identified the pesticide given to residents as “Ortho Home Defense.” Officials had previously indicated that the pesticide distributed in the county was a pesticide recommended by the Texas A&M AgriLife Department.

RELATED:EP Water begins pecan hull removal to combat beetle infestation in Socorro

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