Reports out of West Texas state that many problems occurred during the out of control toxic blaze, including the fact that the nearest hydrant was 4 miles away from the area where these tires were being kept, which made it even more difficult to control. 

   In many of these cases the Environmental Protection Agency disperse response teams to assist local agencies, but that is now in jeopardy as President Donald Trump ordered the gutting of the environmental program.

   The incident in Odessa, Texas is just one example of why having such a large accumulation of tires located in one area could prove to be a huge problem.

   Maverick County has been dealing with large numbers of illegally dumped scrap tires for years. The problem was most recently addressed by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and county on March 9, 2017. The county was cited by TCEQ on January 12, 2017, for violation of the Texas Health and Safety Code in regards to the accumulation and disposal of used scrap tires in two specific areas.

   The order assessed an administrative penalty of $37,500 with a one time deferral offer of $7,500 of the administrative penalty if the county was able to comply with requisites. 

   The county is in the process of working out a deal with TCEQ that will allow them to possibly perform a TCEQ Compliance Supplemental Environmental Project, which would  allow them to correct the violations alleged in the enforcement action or remediate environmental harm caused by the violations.

   The county continues to look at remedies to the community tire problem which is extremely harmful to the environment, leads to higher risks of mosquito infestations, and is a fire hazard.