Houston slaughterhouse sued over blood discharge, other violations

Harris County and state officials are seeking a court order against a far west Houston slaughterhouse accused of multiple violations, including the discharge of about 500 gallons of blood into a roadside ditch.

County officials and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality filed a request for an injunction Friday in state district court against Texas Farm Fresh Halal Meat, 13221 Old Richmond Road.

The defendant is Irfan Sheikh, registered agent and president of Usman Sheikh Enterprises, which owns the slaughterhouse where chickens and goats are processed, records state.

Sheikh or other representatives of the company could not be reached for comment.

The requested injunction would enforce stormwater regulations of the state's water code, according to court documents.

Since Dec. 31, 2012, county investigators have made six visits to the site and have issued violations on five occasions.

The first visit was in response to a complaint about bloody water pooling in the parking lot and flowing into the street, court records state.

An investigator from the Harris County Pollution Control Services Department who visited the site on Dec. 31, 2012, estimated that 500 gallons of blood had collected in the roadside ditch in front of the property next to the slaughterhouse.

The investigator also noticed a small pool of blood next to the fence bordering the two properties, as well as a 25-foot trail of blood from the pool of blood to the roadside ditch, according to court records.

Violations noted in later visits included an outdoor grease trap that drained into a septic system and high temperatures in a refrigerated waste container.

According to online court records Tuesday, no hearing or other court action has been scheduled.